


Walk me home

by FoxyRainbow



Series: Walk me home [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Friends to Lovers, Just a mix and match of characters from all walks of Marvel life because why not really, M/M, Massive canon divergence from Iron Man 3 and forward, May take a while between updates I promise you I am not dead and neither is the story, Original movie timeline what's that, Past Jane Foster/Thor, Past Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Several little snippets making up a full story, Thorny - Freeform, ThunderIron - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-25
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2020-02-04 04:38:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 47,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18596398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FoxyRainbow/pseuds/FoxyRainbow
Summary: Ragnarok wasn't a glorious battle, or a hostile takeover- it was merely a quiet change in leadership.Thor finds himself unable to reclaim the throne and his home from the new queen of Asgard and ends up banished to Midgard once more, in the care of Tony Stark.Two broken men deal with each new terrifying obstacle life throws their way, finding strength in themselves and one another.





	1. A mother's love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mother's journey of pain.

Hela traced the mural with her fingers, her lips spreading to a smirk.  
She was there when that mural had been made and she could swear, that was not what it used to look like. 

She turned her gaze on Lady Frigga, her eyes following the former Queen's movements, as she collected the last few items she needed for her journey.

"I meant what I said, Lady Frigga," she broke the silence. "There is room in my court for you, as long as I can count on your trust and loyalty. I have nothing against you - you should have nothing against me."

Frigga forced a polite smile. "Shouldn't I be the one to decide that?"

Hela closed the distance between them. "No blood was shed here. Your husband, your son, are both alive and well. I don't suppose you were hoping your rule would be indefinite."

"Nothing is indefinite, dear," Frigga turned her back on the younger woman and closed her satchel. 

Hela tapped her foot on the floor and followed Frigga to the door, unsatisfied with how this final meeting was going so far.

"If I had slain Thor-"

She never got the chance to finish that sentence, as Frigga turned sharp eyes on her.

~

The body she held was still warm as she screamed and begged for her baby to talk to her, but he couldn't. She pleaded and cursed at the Norns as Balder's lifeless eyes stared through nothing. 

She didn't let anyone near him, she didn't let anyone close his eyes or kiss his forehead. She had been the one that cared for his body and made the necessary preparations for the funeral, despite the fact that every look at his pale face was a dagger to her heart. 

She was the one that covered his face with the veil, before his funeral pyre was sent out to the sea. When the arrow hit and his body was engulfed in flames, she thought her legs would give out.  
For just a moment, they were probably going to. For just a moment, before she heard the muffled sob and turned to see Thor, with wide, terrified eyes, pulling his shaking father in his arms.  
With newfound strength, she dragged herself over to them, shielding them from the eyes of the Kingdom, who weren't supposed to see their King's pain.

~

A blood-curling scream made its way from her bleeding heart to her throat, when she saw the ship taking off. Both her boys were nowhere to be seen - it had been hours since she had last seen Lady Jane.  
Despite herself, the scream turned into a short laugh, the first she had managed since Balder's death, when she watched Bor's statue being decapitated.

There was a chance she would never see her sons again.  
There was a chance her mind would shutter.

~

She wanted to hold Thor to her chest, just like when he was still her baby. She could barely hear his story of how Loki had died a hero's death, his explanation and promises to stay if his mother needed him.  
She tore her heart out through her own words, as she looked into her son's brilliant blue eyes and asked him what it was _he_ needed to do.

As Asgard's crowned prince renounced the throne, she turned her gaze to the man sitting on it, who returned it, wordlessly asking for her permission.  
It was silly, in a way that made her want to laugh and cry at the same time. After everything, he still looked to her for guidance.

He heard the words in her husband's voice, that set Thor free. She held her son close to her heart one more time, as he was promising her this wasn't goodbye.

She turned her back the moment he did; she knew this was the right way, but she still couldn't bear to watch her son walk away.

The throne room was silent, as she closed the distance between herself and the man on the throne, who stood up and dropped his disguise.  
Loki stared at her like a spooked animal, ready to run away at any moment. Seeing her son like this, she finally snapped.

Loki caught her before she fell and they both sat on the stairs before the throne for what seemed like ages. Loki had nothing to say; Frigga's tears wouldn't let her speak. 

At the end of it all, she commanded him to disappear before the Allfather would wake from Odinsleep and be forced to call for his imprisonment. 

~

There was fire and blood in their dead eyes. The Dishonored Dead. The army of Hela Odinsdottir.  
Gjallarhorn echoed through Asgard.

The doors of the throne room swang open. Hela stood before Lady Sif and the Warriors Three, who awaited the orders of their King quietly.

"I defeated you once. I can do it again. If it has to be the last thing I do in this world, so be it," Odin's words echoed through the golden hall.  
"That may be so," she tilted her head with a tricksy, almost innocent expression on her face. "But then, Asgard would have to be lost in your blaze of glory. Unless of course... you simply step off the throne."  
"You want an entire realm to bow before your whims?" the Allfather snarled.  
"You have no heirs. Your surviving children have denied their right to the throne. I am free of the curse you put me under and I am here for my rightful claim. Step aside, or watch your entire kingdom drown in a sea of blood."

Frigga stood next to her husband and watched as a small group of Dishonored Dead, led by a gigantic wolf, entered the throne room to stand behind their ruler. The wolf sat beside Hela, its glowing emerald eyes fixed on the King.

"Ragnarok could mean the end of Asgard, or simply the end of your era. The decision is yours to make, father."

~

She wasn't on time. She wasn't there to stop Heimdall's final act of defiance, she wasn't there to catch her son before he entered the palace gates to challenge Hela. 

The Rainbow Bridge was the site of their battle. Hela met Thor alone and faced him with all the might and respect he deserved. When Frigga arrived on the scene, their battle cries and the sound of metal clashing against metal was all she could hear. Lightning and emerald magic concealed their figures.  
By the end of it, the scent of blood had filled the air. By the end of it, her son was no longer standing. She stayed completely still as she watched him struggle to get back on his feet and fail to do so. She focused her eyes on the new Queen of Asgard as she stood over her firstborn son, pressing her blade on his throat.

"You asked for a chance to reclaim the throne, Odinson. You failed."

Her triumphant eyes wandered away from Thor for a second and the Queen of Asgard caught a glimpse of what looked like a beast, ready to pounce on her and tear her limb from limb.  
She seemed to hesitate as she cast her eyes down once again, studying her younger brother's expression.

"You are hereby banished from Asgard."

~

Hela stood before the same beast she had seen on the day of her battle with Thor.  
"If you had slain my son, dear, I would have tore your heart out with my bare hands."

Hela believed that. In a strange way, she respected it, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Odin was a little less clever and a little less dramatic and didn't seal Hela away with his lifeforce. Whether the now former king of Asgard is alive and well, remains to be seen.


	2. Cigars and beer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor is found wandering around Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters by mutants that are very eager to help. Tony takes his brother in arms in.

It was Piotr that had found the thunder god wandering around the school perimeter, beaten and bloody and dragged him into Xavier's office. He seemed lost, depressed and very unwilling to discuss what had brought him in this situation. He didn't seem to want to contact Fury either (for that, not a single soul could blame him), so a campaign to contact the nearest Avenger to come collect their wounded brother quickly began. 

A campaign that was over fairly fast, as it turned out Deadpool was friends with Hawkeye. 

The very next evening, the agent arrived with the Black Widow and, much to Logan's surprise, Captain America by his side. 

They had formed a protective circle around him. The Captain's hand was firm on his shoulder, Romanoff was arranging something over the phone with what Logan guessed was Stark, her eyes following whoever as much as tried to breathe in their direction, while Barton knelt in front of him, trying to catch his gaze.

"Will you tell us what happened to you?" he asked.  
"I would rather not," Thor's deep voice echoed through the room.  
"I choose not to respect that," Barton nodded, earning a short laugh out of his partner. "See, I made you laugh."

Despite his and the Captain's valiant efforts, the thunder god wasn't ready to talk. 

Romanoff was still making arrangements, but she moved in Logan's way when he tried to approach.  
"Easy, tiger," he raised an eyebrow. "I just want to give the man a cigar."  
As promised, Logan lit a cigar and offered it to the curious god, who stared at the offering apprehensively, but accepted it anyway.  
He was already coughing his lungs out after one puff.

"Are you usually this depressing or is it a special occasion, bub?" Logan lit one for himself, watching Thor's face turn red.  
"Depressing?" the blond asked and took another puff, determined to smoke the cigar. "Norns, it burns."  
"You bet your ass, depressing. You look like a hurt puppy. A gigantic muscular puppy dog. If it burns, it means it's working."  
Thor stared at the cigar dramatically. "Special case," he admitted before taking in another puff.  
"Shutting your respiratory system down isn't the solution, I promise you that," Romanoff stepped forward, shoving her phone in her pocket and ran her fingers through his hair, pulling at the strands softly, until he raised his head and met her eyes. "You'll be Tony's roommate, for the foreseeable future."

"He'll be needing more cigars, then."  
The slightly amused glares he received from three out of four Avengers in the room just proved his point.

~

Tony offered him a drink and asked what had happened to him a single time. Thor suspected the man was relieved that he didn't receive an answer.  
Other than that, they didn't talk much. Tony was locked in his lab, working on his suits and inventions most of the day, often forgetting to eat and sleep.  
The house was empty. The loud, lonely type of empty. 

They would often share drinks and meals. Mostly in silence, but Tony's quiet presence was a comfort to Thor. The other Avengers didn't show up often - if they did, it usually meant there was a threat to deal with. 

 

It was the night after a celebration over the defeat of a group of scheming former HYDRA agents that the two had their first real conversation.  
Thor had stayed out in the pool until late and when he entered the mansion, he found Tony sleeping a rather restless sleep on a couch in the lobby. 

Thor leaned close to the sleeping man, meaning to wake him from whatever nightmare he was having. Tony woke up first and startled, he tried to attack Thor with a cry.  
Pinning him down was easy, but the very next moment, Thor had to duck away from a white blast aimed for his head.  
"Stop, stop!" Tony yelled, hands moving through the air in a slicing motion. As soon as the suit was still, he pushed himself to a sitting position and examined Thor, who was still on the floor, through wide, terrified eyes.

The thunder god stood up and curiously, cautiously observed the empty suit of armor.  
"You can command them even when you are not in them?"

Struggling to catch his breath, Tony barely managed to muster up a nod for him. The bigger man sat next to him, rubbing his arm comfortingly.  
"That was not - I didn't mean to - Are you hurt?"  
"I am an óss, but I'm pretty sure if I was blasted in the head, you would be able to tell," Thor half-smiled. 

Tony exhaled sharply and closed his eyes, laying back on the cushion his head had been supported on. He wanted to apologize, but those simple words weren't coming to his lips. He could barely breathe right, or focus his gaze on Thor and when he felt the weight being removed from beside him, he remained silent. 

The silence was broken moments later, by the sound of the mini fridge opening. Forcing his eyes open, Tony saw the thunder god was offering him a beer.  
"Want to go back outside, by the pool? It's a beautiful night."

He took the beer offered to him and followed Thor outside.

They talked of that night's victory and others that had come before it. They talked about Tony's suits and how they worked - Thor was horrified at the way Tony had mauled himself to get the implants that allowed his armor to communicate with his nervous system under his skin. They talked and laughed like neither of them had for a long time, until the conversation was led to the Chitauri invasion and Tony's smile faded. 

Thor lifted his eyes to the sky.

"Is that what the nighmares are for?"  
Tony followed Thor's gaze, letting his own explore the night sky. "Among other things."  
"It's the price men like us pay," the blond shook his head.  
"Men like us?"  
"Warriors, heroes... Men that risk their lives for the sake of everything they care for," he said, turning his eyes on Tony and raising his half-empty bottle. 

Tony kept on staring into the other's eyes for what felt like an eternity. "I'm sorry about Loki."  
Thor smiled bitterly. "You don't have to-"  
"No, I mean it," Tony interrupted him. "I only caught a glimpse of the man, I don't know what he was, why he did what he did, what happened to lead him there... but I know he was your brother."

Thor lowered his head and nodded softly, deciding words weren't necessary to fill the silence.

Tony broke it a few moments later.  
"Another beer?"  
"You bet."

~

Pepper's first visit (in a long time, Thor guessed) was marked by awkwardness and tension. She discussed events and signatures with Tony and while Thor did his best to focus on the game on his tablet, he didn't miss the stifness of Tony's stance and the cold professionalism in Pepper's voice.

Tony disappeared into his lab after she was gone, emerging to join Thor by the pool several hours later.  
He wordlessly offered him the bottle he was chugging from, a bottle they kept passing back and forth for a while.

"Last time I checked, Jane was in Norway," Thor spoke first.  
Tony's eyes had been staring at nothing for the longest time, but were now focusing on the god.  
"We lived together for a few months, I worked with SHIELD in that time."

Tony widened his eyes. That, he had not expected.

"It didn't work out. It simply didn't," Thor stared at the bottle in his hand, before giving it back to Tony.  
"That's all it takes, buddy."  
"I think I made an image of her in my mind, that in the end wasn't-"  
"It wasn't her. My guess is, she did the same with you. I doubt it helps that you didn't see each other for a year and then the moment you meet, she gets some sort of magical gas weapon shoved inside her."  
Thor chuckled. "No, that probably doesn't make for a successful date. Nearly dying a few different times and witnessing my brother's funeral didn't help, either."

"You held a funeral for Loki?"  
"We held a funeral for Balder."

Tony nearly choked. "We lead with that, buddy. You've lost two brothers?!"  
"Balder the Brave," Thor boasted, "My youngest brother. The kindest soul, the sharpest mind... A voice that got ladies and warriors alike excited. Mother's favorite."  
Tony smiled. "What happened?"  
"Malekith happened. He died protecting mother and Jane."  
He raised the bottle to the skies, in silent toast to his fallen brother. "He's awaiting in Valhalla."

Awaiting what, Thor didn't know. Ragnarok had come and gone and the souls of Valhalla had never joined in the battle.  
There had been no battle.

"You've lost your entire family and I'm out here drinking myself stupid because Pepper couldn't stand being with me," Tony said, denying the bottle when Thor offered it again. The thunder god shrugged and kept it to himself.  
"My pain isn't meant to belittle yours, friend."  
"Do you want to talk about them?"

Thor met his eyes.

"Loki, Balder... Do you want to talk about them? Tell me their stories?"  
"Maybe you would like to tell me your story with Lady Pepper," Thor forced a smile on his face.  
Tony nodded, hearing the message between the lines. "There's no point to that, buddy. I'm a lousy boyfriend, I forget birthdays and anniversaries, I work too much, I don't sleep or bathe for days when I'm working on something, I am Iron Man."  
"How is that a bad thing?" Thor tilted his head, glaring at the bottle that had ran out of that transparent fiery drink he liked disappointedly. 

"I go out there fighting Chitauri and HYDRA and she has to wait at home, where I may be coming back, or I may not," he snatched the bottle away from Thor. "That's no way to spend Valentine's Day, is it?"  
"Is that a celebration of yours?"  
"Kind of, never mind," he took a swig of vodka, shaking his head afterwards. "Point is, she spent it all alone because I was out dealing with HYDRA and then, had a screaming match with Fury."  
"That's not your fault."  
"Well, that's what I've been saying," Tony raised the bottle in Thor's honor. The bigger man grabbed it and downed the rest of the drink, earning a glare.  
"Not that, that was most likely your fault," he said to a very offended Tony. "What is not your fault, is being Iron Man."

He shifted his body towards Tony and the smaller man mimicked him. "The man of Iron is Tony Stark. You're not two separate entities that exist despite one another, you are one and the same. It's part of who you are. It's understandable that Lady Pepper can't handle that, many people can't take a lover that puts their lives on the line as often as you do. It's scary, it hurts. It's also not your fault that you choose to lead this life. Maybe you two were simply not compatible."  
"I really wanted us to be," Tony crossed his arms, letting his eyes wander.  
"I know."

Tony fell silent again, glancing a look of quiet gratitude towards Thor. The thunder god couldn't possibly know how glad he was to have his company that night.

"I don't know if you did anything else, though. You're probably a hard man to live with," Thor lowered his head.  
Tony took a deep breath. "You ruined it."  
Thor snorted and bit his bottom lip.  
"Fall in the pool."  
"What?" the thunder god was confused.  
"Fall in the pool. I don't like you now and I want to push you in, but I can't. So, fall in the pool."

Thor stared at him for a few seconds and then let himself drop in the pool, still fully clothed.  
Tony puffed his chest. "Atta boy."

The screech he let out when Thor pulled him in the pool scared some birds away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little tidbit of information nobody asked for: Clint's line about lacking respect for Thor's choice to not tell them what happened to him was one I heard a friend say to a classmate we found crying and stopped to console at uni a couple weeks ago. Needless to say it kind of stuck with me.


	3. Malibu Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maya is too late and so is SHIELD.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically a re-write of Iron Man 3, had Thor been included. I always thought it was absolutely ridiculous, from a continuity standpoint, that other Avengers or SHIELD agents didn't show up at all in this movie.  
> I wanted to recreate the iconic scene where Tony calls the suit to shield Pepper from the explosion, but Thor doesn't really need a suit. Watching the explosion clip however, I saw the scene where Pepper protects Tony from the collapsing ceiling while in the aforementioned suit and I figured that was much more fitting.
> 
> JARVIS's mile and time estimation were taken straight from google, but I have no way to check their integrity.
> 
> A few lines are taken straight from the movie.

"There's no politics here, it's just good, old-fashioned revenge.  
There's no Pentagon, it's just you and me.  
And on the off chance you're a man, here's my home address- 10880 Malibu Point, 90265.  
I'll leave the door unlocked."

~

He hang up the phone and jumped off the couch, running to Thor.  
"Listen, I know what you're going to say, I've heard it all, from everyone, over and over."  
Thor opened his mouth to speak, but didn't get the chance to.

"I get what I did was stupid and I'll probably regret it. The house will be going on lockdown so if you would do me a favor and stay inside for the foreseeable future, I would appreciate it. I would prefer if you didn't get blown up because of me. You're trying to speak," he announced, putting his hands on his hips.

"There's no denying what you did was stupid, but I feel I would have done something similar had I been in your shoes," he examined the room with his eyes.  
"That's no consolation, you are not known for your calm, sound judgement," Tony said, sticking his thumbs out when Thor glared at him. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, though."  
"That was not even remotely what that was. Maybe you should have those suits of yours guard the place- at the very least they would make for an intimidating first defense."  
"JARVIS has our backs, buddy," Tony promised, following the bigger man's line of sight.

"Did you check with lady Pepper? A man wishing to hurt you would potentially go after her."  
"If by checking you mean I called to make sure she was safe and she screamed at me for about forty minutes, then I most definitely checked. I convinced Fury to send a few agents to keep an eye on her."

Thor half-smiled. "How long did _he_ scream at you?"  
"I tuned him out after the first ten minutes or so," Tony shrugged.

"Don't you suppose lady Pepper is going to be mad at you for sending people to look after her?" Thor's eyes found Tony's again.  
"If she notices them, probably. Don't you give me that look, it feels like you're judging me," he demanded.  
"It just _feels like_ it?" 

Tony grimaced and stepped around the bigger man.  
"How is your driver doing?"

The sound of the doorbell took Tony's chance to respond away.

~

The woman was visibly worried, but there was a hint of amusement in her voice as she introduced herself and found that Tony didn't remember her.

"I thought we were going on lockdown," Thor approached, smiling at the newcomer.  
"We were- we are," Tony announced, observing as Maya Hansen re-introduced herself and offered her hand to the thunder god, who decided to kiss instead of shake it. 

"As I was saying," the brunette turned to Tony, "I need your help."  
"What for? Why now?" Tony responded fast.  
"Because I read the papers and frankly," she nodded along every word, "I don't think you'll last the week."  
"I'll be fine, we'll be fine, tell her," he turned to Thor and gestured at Maya.  
The thunder god seemed to be finding himself uncertain.  
"Is it so hard to back me up here?" Tony demanded, irritated.  
"Tony, this isn't a matter of backing you up, you _know_ I will fight by your side, we will crush all your enemies-"

"Alright, how about we maybe get out of here before any enemy crushing is necessary?" Maya interrupted. "I already told you, this is urgent-"

Tony jumped in before she managed to finish her sentence, but Maya didn't seem to be noticing, as she stepped away, leaving him to quietly argue with Thor.

There was a flat screen TV attached to the wall, showing the mansion they were all in now, with the tagline "Stark issues threat" underneath. The camera seemed to be approaching.

Getting the two men's attention took a few tries.  
"Do we need to worry about that?"

 

The sudden explosion sent all three of them flying, showering them with glass shards and debris.  
The landing was rough, but for what it was worth, Tony could still move. He forced himself to turn to his side, his eyes focusing on a passed out Maya.  
He thought he heard a deep voice calling out his name and with an agility Tony never expected from a man his size, Thor rushed to cover him, as parts of the ceiling came collapsing down on them.

The god let out a loud groan but remarkably, didn't lose his balance. Tony was left staring at the man hovering over him with wide eyes.

"I don't think I'll be backing you up after all," Thor's voice came out raspy.  
"You've done plenty of that already."

~

He knew Tony was alive. He had seen him fly away in the suit, after he took one of the helicopters that had caused the explosion down.  
When it came to close combat, he could take an entire army of people down. As far as range combat was concerned however, he was useless without his hammer.  
Perhaps he should have let Natasha show him how to use a gun, after all. 

He had carried Lady Maya outside and made sure she was well. It was a miracle she hadn't gotten seriously injured in the explosion.

Before he had the chance to process what exactly had happened, the place was crawling with members of the law enforcement, journalists and paramedics, that insisted on caring for him as well as lady Maya.  
How had people still not caught up to the fact that he was a god?

For a lady that had been tossed through the air and showered with glass and cement, Maya was certainly very quick to disappear once the first few SHIELD agents showed up. 

If the Director was surprised to see him, he didn't show it.

"I had expected we wouldn't make it in time," his gaze wandered around the destroyed building. "Just when you think a man can't possibly do something even more ridiculous he goes ahead and gives his address out to challenge a terrorist."

"He's alive," Thor took a step closer to Fury, "He took off in a new suit."  
"Are you sure?"  
"Absolutely."  
"What else happened here?"

Thor fell silent for a few moments, watching the agents of SHIELD argue with the officers. The journalists were getting louder by the minute, with most of them insisting Tony should most definitely be dead by now.

He told the Director the story of the explosion, leaving the mysterious woman from Tony's past out. 

"What about the others? The rest of the Avengers?"  
"Those that we can currently track down, are too far away to ever make it here and help on time. If we are going to look for Tony, we will have to do it alone. We could track JARVIS's signal and locate him. There is one thing you need to know first, though..."

He knew that expression. He hated that expression.

"What is that, Director?"  
"We sent agents to Miss Potts's apartment, but she's gone. Even worse, there are signs of struggle. It looks like Pepper has been abducted."

~ 

"With all his faults, he is a brilliant man, isn't he?" Maya was in awe as she examined Tony's suits.

As it turned out, the woman hadn't gone far and she was still determined to help Tony.

While most of the house had been destroyed, the basement and Hall of Armors had been saved. It had taken a while to dig through the wreckage and find a way in the cellar halls, but Thor was considered to be an authorized SHIELD agent, so nobody bothered or tried to stop him.  
It was a while after his conversation with the Director that lady Maya decided to show herself, explaining she didn't want any SHIELD agents noticing her.  
Thor decided not to point out hiding from well-trained agents was almost impossible and there was a good chance she was already noticed and the agents were spying on them and biding their time. 

"Lady Maya, you said whatever it was that brought you here, was urgent."  
"I did, Thor, but the plan was to discuss this with Tony and Tony alone."  
"Under the circumstances, you're going to have to cut your losses," he said bitterly.  
She remained silent, studying him for a few moments, walking behind him as he pushed massive pieces of wall aside with no effort.

"Well, you didn't rat me out to SHIELD- and I suppose, right now... You are my only connection to Tony."

She told him the story of how she had met Tony 13 years ago. Of the formula she had worked on, the development of the EXTREMIS virus and how the company she worked with had sold the formula out to the Mandarin. What the meaning behind the bombings were and exactly how Tony was tied in all of this. 

Ingenious and utterly terrifying.

 

The door to the armory was enhanced, bulletproof glass. Thor's first instinct was to try and bring it down, but he instead decided to ask JARVIS if he would let him in.

"Mr Stark ruled that in case of emergency, certain people were to be allowed anywhere in the cellar halls, sir."

Thor was surprised JARVIS was still functional despite the fact that most of the house was destroyed- he was even more surprised when the AI granted him access to the hall.  
"I am... 'certain people'?"  
"According to the new protocol, added by Mr Stark two days ago."

"So you guys dating, or...?" Maya sat on Tony's chair.  
"We are friends," Thor explained, as he quietly admired Tony's suits. It was remarkable - the man had only primitive, ordinary Midgardian technology to work with and yet, he was capable of such incredible things.  
"Yes, Tony looks like the kind of man that would be just friends with his sexy roommate who he also lets in his top secret lab," Maya pointed out, suddenly very interested in her nails.  
"I'm not sure of what you're implying, lady Maya," Thor said, smiling triumphantly as the hall was lit and a holographic screen appeared before him.  
"I'm not implying, I'm rubbing it in your face."

"JARVIS, where is Tony?"  
"Mr Stark crash-landed five miles outside of Rose Hill, Tennessee. He sustained no injuries on arrival, but the suit was not yet battle ready and malfunctioned, shutting down."  
"Is there no way to contact him, then?"  
"Not until he finds a way to recharge the suit, sir."

A minor setback, Thor told himself. His friend was alive and that was all that mattered. The man had one of the brightest minds Thor had ever encountered- he would figure out how to power up the suit.

"What about lady Pepper?" Thor turned to Maya. "Where would she be by now?"

Maya seemed to hesitate. 

"Lady Maya?"  
"Oh, would you stop calling me that," she rubbed her forehead. "The Mandarin would have taken her back to his mansion, in Miami."

"Which of these two locations is the closest to get to, JARVIS?" the gears in his head were turning.  
"The distance between Malibu and Miami is 2,368.05 miles. The distance between Malibu and the state of Tennessee is 3,001.01. Presuming you choose to fly either to Miami or Rose Hill, you would need somewhere between four to six hours, depending on the type of aircraft."

Thor remained silent for a few moments, lost in thought.

"Do you suppose Fury would lend me a SHIELD jet and a few men?"  
"Are you asking me or JARVIS?" Maya jumped off her chair and approached. "My guess would be no."  
"I believe it would be worth a shot, sir," JARVIS piped in.  
"I think I'll go with JARVIS," Thor decided.

"What do we do if he says no?!"  
"We commandeer a ship," Thor gave her his brightest smile.  
" _We what?!_ "  
"I hope you know the exact coordinates of that mansion."  



	4. Traps are to be seen, not heard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _As more eyes appeared out of the dark, Thor couldn't help remembering the stories of Muspelheim's Fire Demons._   
>  _He never expected he would be facing a Midgardian equivalent of that._   
> 

"So you didn't rat me out. Was it because you knew they were already aware of my presence here?" Maya hissed.  
"Partially," the god admitted.  
"Thor, there was a reason I wanted to get Tony _alone_ for this. We can't burst in the mansion with a small army of SHIELD, guns blazing."

"Then it's a good thing I don't have an army at my disposal," Fury appeared almost out of nowhere, making Maya jump.  
"Thor, a moment to debrief you," he said, his gaze still fixed on Maya, who pursed her lips and stepped away, awkwardly approaching an agent that was having a conversation with a very pissed paramedic.

Both men remained silent for a few moments- Thor was the first to speak.  
"You're going to say she's leading me into a trap."  
"Maya Hansen seems to have a connection with AIM, a research and development agency funded by the government and _founded_ by one Aldrich Killian. The man recently approached Pepper Potts with an offer. We do not know what the offer was and how she responded, but right after that meeting, Happy Hogan was involved in a bombing and the lady herself was kidnapped. There is no single chance you're not being lead into a trap, Thor and my people aren't expendable."

The bigger man nodded, furrowing his eyebrows. "Tony seems to be safe for the time being, but lady Pepper is not and we need to move fast. If I can have a single shot at helping her, or at the very least getting closer to solving this Mandarin mystery, I need to take it. I can do this alone. Let me have one jet and I will make sure that even the pilot of that jet returns alive and well."  
"Thor, you are in the list of people that aren't expendable, you _are_ one of my men. You are not invincible, you could be walking head first into an army comprised just for you," Fury protested.  
"The matter at hand is," Thor raised his voice slightly, "while this 'Mandarin' is at large, people could be getting hurt. This could be our only lead and every moment wasted could mean both lady Pepper's and Tony's lives are at stake. If she leads me into an army, a prison cell, or just her boss, I have the chance to find their leader one way or another."

"You don't have a plan, any idea what you're up against, not even a general direction of where you're heading," Fury hissed.  
"I refuse to sit here and twiddle my thumbs, Director," Thor announced confidently.  
Fury closed his eye and drew in a deep breath. "Did you ever learn how to shoot a gun?"  
Thor patted on a metal rod hanging off his belt- the collapsible Bo staff he had been using to fight with ever since he landed back on Earth without his hammer. "I'm going to be fine."

Fury studied Maya Hansen's expression. She was now staring at Thor with wide, anxious eyes, bouncing on the balls of her feet impatiently.  
"You get a jet. We'll track your location and keep a small back-up team nearby, meanwhile, we will keep trying to contact Tony. Here's hoping I'm not sending you to your horrible, untimely demise."

~ 

They exchanged few words on the jet. Maya mostly stayed in a corner, with her eyes glued to the screen of her phone.

She needed space, she needed time. Whether that was to plan her trap better, or perhaps it was her conscience screaming at her that she was making a horrible mistake, Thor had no way of knowing.

He kept most of his attention on the pilot, glancing over to check on the contemplative scientist every so often.

 

By the time she saw fit to open her mouth again, the jet was far behind them. They were by then walking in a forest that Maya seemed to know well, as she confidently walked among trees, turning back to check if Thor was still behind her every so often.

"There is something I want you to understand," she announced, turning her eyes on Thor.  
"Yet, you don't expect me to. That's what your eyes are telling me."

She stopped abruptly, turning to him with a sharp exhale. "What I am doing here, what I needed Tony for... It's my life's work. It's a project that can help countless people, that can give hope and life to those that have neither."

She turned away and Thor followed her line of sight, finding golden sand and an ocean painted in the sunset's colors. She was leading him to a beach.

"Where does Tony come in all of this?" he asked softly.

Reaching into her coat, she pulled an old name tag out. "You know who I am", was written in place of a name.  
She flipped it on the other side, revealing a math formula scribbled in blue pen.  
"This is from 13 years ago, that New Year's party I met him in. He left me this as a goodbye gift, but never completed it and Thor, you can't understand how much I tried to fill in the blanks myself, but I can't."

There was a shade of desperation on her face. "What happens if you never do?"  
"Then this gift to humanity never becomes more than a weapon of mass destruction. I need you to understand. I don't know what your land is like, but here, people get irreparably hurt and lose everything-"  
"The Extremis is your cure-all for humanity," Thor realized, keeping his expression stoic as he nodded along.

"We can regrow limbs, brink people back from the brink of death," her eyes were glowing. "There is so much insane potential, so much good for humanity, but without Tony's brain, we can't stabilize and use this for its intended purpose."

Her lips had curved up in a smile, but Thor's expression made that smile melt away.  
"You don't understand."  
"Some time ago, the founder of an organization approached Pepper Potts," he narrowed his eyes. "If I'm understanding correctly, you work for that man, do you not?"

She nodded, her expression twisting to something Thor couldn't quite read.

"He made lady Pepper an offer. One that she rejected, correct?"

Another nod, but this time, she looked almost as if she was too tired to move her head. 

"So now, Pepper is kidnapped, Tony's house blew up and I am being lead into a trap. Forgive me, for I fail to see the part where this turns out to be for the greater good. So far, all I see is people getting hurt."

She bit the inside of her cheek and turned away, so he wouldn't see the tears welling up in her eyes.

"I believe you, when you say that this is your life's work and you wanted to help your people," he closed the distance between them. "I also believe that things didn't turn out that way."

"Aldrich wants me to take you where he's keeping Pepper," she announced.  
"But?"  
"You were never supposed to get involved in any of this, but he seems to be liking the fact that somehow, you did," she kept going, as if he had never spoken, "He wants to test the power of Extremis against the power of a god. I, on the other hand, want you to turn around and leave while there's still time. Tony won't be harmed, you have my word."  
"You want me to walk away and leave an innocent woman in the hands of a maniac?" he raised an eyebrow.  
"He's not a maniac, Thor. He's a visionary."

She could hear it in her own voice, just as well as Thor could. The words came out rehearsed and broken, leaving the both of them in disbelief and fear.

"Take me to your boss, Maya."  
"You're going to be killed," she announced. "You and everyone you call to aid you on that ship. Fury sent you to your death."  
"No, Maya, _you_ are sending me to my death," he said, fixing his eyes on the woman's mortified face. Granted, he was walking straight to it, but that was the only way he knew. "Take me to your boss."

She span on her heels and rushed ahead, stepping out of the forest with Thor following her.

~

He was a charming man. Confident, in that sort of way people that are willing and capable to step all over everyone to achieve what they had decided life owed them were.

A man and a woman stood at attention beside him. Maya stopped directly in front of him, but he seemed to have eyes only for Thor.  
"It is an honor," he approached, studying Thor's stance and expression. "It is not every day someone meets a self-proclaimed god."  
"Are you the Mandarin?" Thor jumped to the point, earning a chuckle out of the man.  
"Now that, is a very complicated question, that requires a very complicated answer."

Like an actor, delivering his lines just right. Aldrich Killian sounded very pleased with himself.

"Where is Pepper?"

Killian stepped closer and turned to dramatically point at a ship in the distance. "Right there, my friend."  
"I'm not your friend," Thor announced, fixing his eyes on the ship.  
"Well, that is disappointing, isn't it?" he shoved his hands in his pockets. "You are about to get on that ship and face my best specimens for free. You know how hard free labor is to come by, these days?"

"Will I have a chance to save Pepper, if I do?" he let his eyes wander from Killian, to his goons, to Maya, who was avoiding his eyes.  
"Oh, you will have all the chances in the world," Killian promised enthusiastically. "Presuming of course, that you get past my soldiers."

"I'm not one to back out of a challenge."  
"Brilliant," Killian beamed at him. "This, is Cordelia," he pointed to a white and blue speed boat Thor hadn't quite noticed before. "She is _mostly_ mine, although these days a, shall we say, _friend_ is using her. She'll take you to your destination and just one step closer to Pepper. I don't suppose you have a particular interest in a man named Matthew Elis, do you?" he pointed a well-manicured finger at Thor.  
Confusion was painted on the larger man's face. "Who...?"

He couldn't quite tell if Killian's smile was bitter or triumphant. It looked like a strange mix of both, somehow.  
"Didn't think so. What do presidents matter to gods, really?"

The male soldier standing next to Killian turned away and walked towards Cordelia.

"One last thing, Thor."  
"You are by far, the most talkative trap I've ever walked in," Thor growled, finding the man's eyes.  
His lips melted into a smirk. "I understand Fury didn't send you alone. There are SHIELD agents around here somewhere, waiting for your distress call? Perhaps, you are wired right now and the Director can hear my every word?"

"Do you plan to search me and find out?"  
"Tempting, but no," Killian pursed his lips. "I also don't plan to tell you not to call them, should you decide you need help. I can show you, however, why you probably shouldn't."

He turned his eyes on the woman next to him. She smiled a cunning smile at Thor, as the glow in her eyes became more intense. She threw her head back and breathed fire out of her mouth.  
The thunder god barely managed to hold himself still as the soldier showed her power off.

"See, that's one of the things we can do. Painful way to go," Killian explained. "Again, though, it's up to you."

This time, Thor managed to capture the ever-silent Maya's gaze. He kept his eyes in hers as he removed the earpiece that had been concealed in his hair. He reached into his armor and tore the wire that was keeping him connected to the jet pilot off. 

Killian seemed a little too pleased with himself for Thor's liking. "Wise decision."

~

He unlatched the staff from his belt, examining the metal walls of Norco with his eyes.  
"Where is she?"  
"You're not getting to her, handsome," a woman responded from somewhere in the dark.

There was something inherently wrong about finding where someone was standing because of glow-in-the-dark eyes.

As more eyes appeared out of the dark, Thor couldn't help remembering the stories of Muspelheim's Fire Demons.  
He never expected he would be facing a Midgardian equivalent of that.

"You have no idea what I'm capable of," he said, extending the staff.  
If he focused, he thought he could hear screaming from somewhere within the ship. 

" _You_ have no idea how many times I've heard that," the same woman smiled maniacally at him.

In retrospect, perhaps he should have devised a plan that didn't involve trapping himself on a ship full of people that could breathe fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why a Bo staff and not something more... Thor? I wanted something for him that wasn't some form of gun and I doubt SHIELD keeps swords, hammers or axes around for the less fortunate god.  
> I promise you, it's a temporary solution.


	5. Desperation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor makes it past the Extremis Soldiers, but he can't save Pepper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some lines are straight from the Iron Man 3 movie.

"As I looked out over that city, nobody knew I was there, nobody could see me, no one was even looking...  
I had a thought that would guide me for years to come. Anonymity, Tony," Killian pointed a finger at his tied-up, unwilling, one-man audience.

Tony raised an eyebrow and followed the pacing man with his eyes.

"Thanks to you, it's been my mantra ever since, right?" he turned to Maya, who forced a smile to her face.  
"You simply rule from behind the scenes," he continued. "Because, the second you give evil a face - a Bin Laden, a Gaddafi, a Mandarin, you hand the people a target."

"You're something else," Tony muttered, the image of Trevor Slattery, the man that had been the face of the Mandarin, popping up in his mind.  
Killian sat on a chair and opened the briefcase he had carried in the lab with him, retrieving something Tony couldn't quite see yet.

"You have met him, I assume?"  
"Yes," Tony sighed, "Sir Laurence Oblivier."  
"I know he's a little over the top sometimes, it's not entirely my fault," Killian explained, sounding apologetic. "He has a tenden- he's a stage actor. They say his Lear was the toast of Croydon, wherever that is."

The speech had tired Tony out before it had even begun. He couldn't quite tell what all this buildup was meant to lead to, but he was guessing he wasn't going to like it.

"Anyway, the point is, ever since that big dude with the hammer fell out of the sky, subtlety's kind of had its day."

Killian set the briefcase down and span on his chair, turning on a computer screen and shifting it so Tony could view the footage that was presented.  
The man narrowed his eyes, focusing on the moving figures. A room of some sort, dimly lit. Moments later, he knew he was watching a fight. 

Most of the people on the screen were _glowing_ , like human torches. A side effect of Extremis, he guessed, his eyes momentarily wandering over to Maya.  
Then, there was that poor sod among them, fending them off with what seemed like a metal... staff.

Tony widened his eyes and extended his neck, focusing on the one figure in the room that wasn't glowing.  
Muscular man, with long blond hair, dressed in SHIELD armor.

"How?" he croaked, his heart beating faster.

"Remarkable, isn't it? He just threw himself at us, to use as we pleased, if only for a chance to rescue Pepper."

The color drained from Tony's face, his mouth was left hanging open. Killian gave him a triumphant smile.  
"You see, I wanted to repay you the selfsame gift that you so graciously imparted to me."

He held out his hand, showing Tony three metal marbles. He rolled them on the floor towards him and once they were in position, projected an image through them, using a remote control. 

"Desperation."

The projection was Pepper, tied to some sort of machine, struggling against her binds to no avail. An orange glow was emanating from her body, as if somebody had set her internal organs on fire.  
There was no sound, but Tony could tell... She was screaming.

"Now, this is live. I'm not sure if you can tell, but at this moment the body is trying to decide whether to accept Extremis, or just give up."

Tony struggled with the cable ties keeping him tied to the metal bedframe, rattling it as he did so.  
He couldn't bare to watch.

The tears Maya had been holding back from the moment she took Thor to Killian were finally rolling down her cheeks as she closed her eyes.

" - And if it gives up, I have to say, the detonation is quite spectacular. But, until that point, it's really just a lot of pain," Killian finished and shut the projection off, approaching Tony.

"We haven't even talked salary yet," he said, wrapping his fingers around the man's throat. His eyes began to glow, orange veins were appearing on his face. "What kind of perk package are you thinking of?"

"Let him go."

Both men turned to Maya, who was now holding a needle injector inches away from her neck.

"What are you doing?" the blond man narrowed his eyes, confused.  
"1200 CCs. A dose half of this size, I'm dead," she announced. 

Killian took a step closer to her, his voice now calmer, almost soothing, as he asked her to give him the injector.

"If I die, Killian, what happens to your soldiers? What happens to your product?" she said, sounding certain, persistent.  
She was terrified, her heart was about to burst through her chest. For the first time in what seemed like ages, she knew she was finally doing the right thing.

"We're not doing this, okay?" Killian was shaking his hands, his eyes growing wider by the moment.  
"What happens to you? What happens if _you_ go too hot?"

There was nothing Tony could do but observe Maya's futile attempt at a change of heart.  
He managed to meet her eyes one last time, before Killian pulled a gun out and shot her.

There was a sarcastic smile on his face as he turned back to his prisoner.  
"The good news is, a high-level position has just been vacated."

~

Force alone, wasn't enough to defeat the Extremis-infused demons. Perhaps it was Killian's plan to keep him busy, locked away with them, in an endless battle where nobody would give in or lose.

That was, until Thor started noticing the Soldiers' bodies were growing hotter. Their eyes were glowing, their veins were popping orange through their skin.  
Painful way to go, indeed.

Time was flying by and Thor had led them to believe that he had grown tired, or desperate and was now planning to access the door at the other end of the chamber.  
A door that would hopefully, lead him to Pepper. 

Down on one knee, with his armor scorched and his left arm badly burnt, he kept his gaze focused on the Soldiers that were gathering in front of that door he had his eyes on.  
Everyone in the room was panting. Every single Soldier, was glowing. 

"End of the line, handsome," a woman smiled at him. 

He fixed his eyes on a single soldier in the back, who seemed to be having difficulty breathing. Their face was rapidly breaking out in light.  
He had one chance to get this right and escape mostly unharmed in the process. 

He pulled himself to his feet and holding his staff out with both hands, he ran up to them, throwing the soldiers on the front on the rest of their breathren.  
The ones still standing barely had the time to move as their overdosed brother started screaming.

Thor wasn't fast enough and the explosion sent him flying on the other end of the chamber. 

~

The process following an Extremis infusion was always long and difficult, for everyone involved. Dr Hough had heard his fair share of blood-curling screaming, as he had been part of one too many of these procedures.

There was one major difference between this particular situation and all the others he had been a part of, however. The lady that was currently strapped to the machine, screaming and crying, hadn't consented to it. She wasn't a veteran, she wasn't disabled; she was, according to Aldrich Killian himself, a very different project. A personal prize, of some sort.

He reached for his whiskey bottle with a shaking hand, trying to keep his attention on the amber drink, instead of the woman wailing behind him. Damn it all, he couldn't afford to get drunk right now. Killian was paying him to do his job right and keep his mouth shut and that's just what he had to do.

The explosion came suddenly and so did the man burging into the medical bay a few minutes later.

He tossed Hough aside and approached the containment tube the woman was held in with wide, horrified eyes.  
Against his better judgement, Hough approached the large man.  
"Stop."

The look he received as a response drained him of the rest of his courage.  
"If you let her out now, she will explode."

The blond man turned his attention back to the screaming lady.

"This is the most crucial moment," the Doctor took a careful step closer. "This is when the body decides whether to accept Extremis or -"  
"I get it," the large man growled. "How much longer until we can take her out?"  
"Presuming she survives this, approximately two more hours."

Soldiers were now crowding the entrance of the medical bay, but the newcomer only had eyes for the lady undergoing the Extremis operation. He stood before the containment vessel, pressing his hands on it.  
"Pepper, look at me. Please, look at me."

She stopped screaming and tried to find his gaze through teary eyes. 

"I can't get you out. If I do, you will die."  
She cried out at him, inaudible words, muffled by the glass surrounding her.

"I can't. Listen to me. I will stay here, I will see you through it, you _will_ make it. You are not going to die, Pepper."  
There was little to no doubt the woman couldn't hear him. Perhaps it was the softness and sincerity of his expression, that seemed to calm her down.

Hough turned desperate eyes to the Soldier leading the rest of the group, who was talking on the phone- hopefully, with Killian.

"You will get through this, I will get you out and we will kill everyone on this ship, alright?"

The doctor's eyes moved frantically between the large man consoling the trapped woman with promises of murder and the Soldiers. The head of the group stepped inside, while the rest of them moved away, presumably to resume their positions.

"What are you doing?!" Hough asked, terrified.  
"As long as he doesn't try to open the tube, he stays. Boss's orders," the man shrugged, standing near an empty vessel.  
"Didn't you hear what he just told her?!" Hough took a few steps back, grabbing onto the bottle of whiskey.  
Maybe now, it was the time to get drunk?

"Killian is a man of his word, apparently," the Soldier rolled his eyes.  
"That and you can't kill me," the intruder growled.

Now was, without a doubt, the time to get drunk.

\-- --

Killian stared at his cellphone with pursed lips, before gently putting it back in his pocket.  
"Trouble?" Ellen approached. With Tony Stark trapped and the Iron Patriot armor secured, they were ready to move to the last part of the plan.  
"Apparently, Thor made it to Pepper, mostly unharmed. Blew the test subjects up, too," he announced. "I have to say, I am impressed."

"Can't we throw more people his way and keep him busy?" she asked. "He killed a couple of us, but if we unleash the entire horde-"  
"The entire horde, Ellen, has other things to do. Besides, he's not trying to free her, he's just observing, I suppose," he shrugged.  
"I still think we should try a little harder to kill the man. God or not, I'm pretty sure he's not immune to fire," she grimaced.

Killian was still staring at his phone, perplexed. "How do you go about hiring a god?"

\-- --

"Thor?"

The thunder god was mostly quiet, keeping his eyes on Pepper. Both the scientist and soldier had warned him that if the woman detonated, there was a very good chance she would take him with, but he didn't seem to care.

He couldn't hear her voice. He doubted she had heard his promises of murder. 

When he noticed she was moving her lips, he stood up and approached, pressing his fingers on the glass.

Her body was still glowing. There was a bright orange ring surrounding her pupils, bleeding out into the blue of her irides. Focusing on the god, she formed the word 'Tony' with her lips.

Tony...  
There was no point in trying to explain that he had made it out of the explosion well and then crash-landed somewhere in Tennessee.  
Come to think of it, that had been hours ago. Thor himself, had no way of knowing where the man was and if he was well, at that exact moment.

Then again, this was _Tony_ they were referring to.

He stuck his thumbs out and forced a smile to his face, nodding along.  
Tony was fine.  
He _had_ to be.

\-- --

For a brief moment, it had seemed like a good idea. 

Clutching the empty bottle of whiskey on his chest, he snuck up on the massive blond man and smashed it on the back of his head.  
He barely moved an inch, before turning to Hough with an unimpressed glare. Next thing he knew, he was hoisted off the ground, with a strong hand wrapped around his neck.

The Soldier took a step forward, pointing his gun at the intruder. "Put him down," he commanded.

The man glanced over at the soldier and turned his attention back to Hough. "When this is over, I'll make sure to kill you myself."

He unceremoniously dropped him on the floor and resumed observing, or perhaps guarding, the lady in the tube.

Hough was left on the floor, coughing his lungs out.  
In retrospect, he was not getting paid nearly enough for this job.

\-- --

Making sure nobody was looking at him, Dr Hough filled the injection with as much tranquilizer as he could.  
If this Thor fellow was some sort of superhuman, it was perhaps not going to kill him, but it could make him sleep.

As soon as he seemed preoccupied with the lady he had come to rescue, Hough approached the large man carefully.  
Once he was close enough to inject the man, his wrist was caught in the blond's vice-like grip. He let go of the needle and as soon as it was on the floor, Thor stepped on it.  
He seemed to be putting no effort in squeezing Hough's wrist, but the smaller man doubted his bones would remain intact for much longer.

With a sigh, the Soldier pointed his gun at the god. "Let him go."  
"Are we certain he needs both hands to assist with the procedure?" Thor sounded almost bored. Hough whimpered and turned to the Soldier, who was taking his sweet time to respond.  
"We need him alive," he ended up saying.

Thor looked at the doctor straight in the eye as he squeezed harder on his wrist. Hough fell on his knees, screaming, clutching on his now surely broken joint. The glance he gave the Soldier was a provocation. "Didn't kill him."  
The Soldier simply stared at the doctor and shrugged. "Good enough for me."

~ ~ ~

The last henchman standing dropped his gun and raised his hands above his head.  
"Honestly, I hate working here, they are so weird," he said and Tony waved goodbye at him.

Pieces of the Mark 42 came flying to him. He stepped out of the building and caught the last piece of his suit, the faceplate, in mid-air.

"It's good to be back. Hello, by the way."  
He couldn't help smiling, as he heard JARVIS's voice again.  
"Hello, sir."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you may have already guessed, the drunk and disorderly Dr Hough is of my creation. Don't you worry about him, he's here for one chapter and he will then disappear.  
> I was initially going to let Maya die "off-screen", but while writing this chapter, I realized I liked her character quite a bit and wanted to show her redemption.  
> Rest in peace, you badass biological botanist.


	6. Christmas Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _As he raised his eyes to the sky that night, he witnessed something more glorious than he had in the almost 1500 years of his lifetime._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Couple lines from Iron Man 3 during the final battle.

He had been raised with the comforts and wonder every Prince deserved, in the golden city of Asgard. He had heard stories, seen battle, experienced things people three times his age never had.

As he raised his eyes to the sky that night, he witnessed something more glorious than he had in the almost 1500 years of his lifetime. 

He stood next to Pepper and they both watched in awe as the Iron Legion came soaring through the sky.  
"Merry Christmas, Thor," she called out, at the top of her lungs, a smile appearing on her face.  
"Merry Christmas, Pepper."

In truth, he had not doubted Tony for a single second.

~

When the containment chamber had opened, Thor was the last person left in the medical bay.  
It was mere moments ago that the Soldier had left, receiving news that all hands on deck were required.  
When Thor turned to look for Dr Hough, the man had made himself scarce.

He approached carefully, calling out her name. When her eyes fluttered open, they revealed the familiar fiery glow in their depths.

He held his breath as the binds keeping her secured inside the tube retracted and she staggered out, keeping her gaze fixed on him.

Neither of them got the chance to break the silence, before the sounds of the first explosions echoed through the vessel. They turned their heads towards the ceiling simultaneously.

"Is that-"  
"It must be," Thor smiled. The seconds were flying by and they could soon feel and hear more explosions. Thor took a careful step closer, offering a hand to Pepper. The woman whimpered and jumped back.

"No, I will burn you," she shook her head.  
"It's alright," he promised.

She glanced around the room, her breathing growing heavy.  
"No, it's not.  
"Then it's going to be," Thor announced. "Trust me on this," he brushed his fingers against her forearm and smiled. "See?"

A shudder travelled through the ship's walls and Pepper landed in the god's arms.

"We need to hurry," he stared at the ceiling with wide eyes.  
"Agreed."

~

He had made a brilliant list of all the right things to say, provided he made it in time and found Pepper alive. As she stood there, eyes glowing, veins of fire running through her body, Tony found himself at a loss for words. 

The awkward reunion, that would surely stay in Tony's nightmares for years to come, was cut short by a suit Tony spotted heading towards Pepper, repulsors ready to fire.

"Jarvis, subject at my 12 o'clock is not a target, disengage!" he yelled, pressing his finger to his ear, finding the worst possible time to realize his earpiece had fallen out.  
In a corner, the glowing, burnt-up Killian stood up.  
His body had sustained quite some damage after his battle with Tony. He was red and black, his eyes were glowing feverishly, his skin was flaking away.  
Yet, he was still standing, by sheer force of spite alone, as it seemed.

A rush of fear struck through Tony, as Pepper was suddenly running towards him.

"What, are you mad at me?!"

Using his knee as a stepping stone, she jumped in mid-air, kicking the suit that was coming to assault her. She brought it back on the ground with her, ripping into its chestplate and then, tearing the helmet off, using it to strike Killian, who had falsely assumed that was the opportune time to charge at her.

The now destroyed suit's gauntlet assembled around her arm. She kicked a small missile that had landed by her feet towards Killian and blasted it in mid-air.

The flames ate the maniacal self-proclaimed visionary and one last explosion followed.  
Both Pepper and Tony remained still, observing the flames, waiting to see if Killian was going to walk out one more time.

The suit that had been keeping Rhodey safe, away from the fight, landed behind Tony, bringing his oldest friend back to him. Moments later, Thor emerged from behind a burning pile of debris. 

Neither Avenger had really doubted the other's abilities for a moment, yet, as they were standing there, they were both dumbfounded by just how relieved they were to see one another once again, mostly unharmed.

Tony couldn't seem to find words for the god, either. Thor glanced over to Pepper.  
"I'm sorry. I didn't make it in time."

Pepper ran past the commonly Iron Armor-wearing men and wrapped her arms around Thor. Tears welled up in her eyes and Thor returned the embrace with a smile.  
Tony opened his arms and shrugged, trying to decide if he wanted to know what exactly it was that had brought those two closer.  
He didn't realize how left-out he was feeling until Thor extended an arm out to him. 

He shook his head. "I don't do group-"  
Rhodey didn't give him a chance to finish, as he pressed a hand on his back and dragged him along, joining in the group hug himself. Tony buried his face in Thor's chest.  
He couldn't quite tell where each person in that dysfunctional little group ended and the other began, but he could not care less. 

The moment was interrupted when JARVIS spoke through the Mark 40, that was standing behind them.  
"Sir?"  
"Yes, JARVIS?"  
"I feel inclined to inform you, there is a visitor waiting for you in the Avengers tower," the AI said.

Tony shook his head. "This could not be a worse time for visitors, JARVIS."  
"It's Dr Banner, sir. He came out of hiding as soon as he heard that your home in Malibu was attacked and only just made it." 

Imagining Bruce's worried face was enough to make Tony burst into laughter. The other three followed soon after.

 

Just like that, suddenly, unceremoniously, the battle was over. The still functional suits of the Iron Legion were retreating, as Tony promised Pepper he would perfect the formula and cure her of the Extremis and Thor was awkwardly introduced to Rhodey with JARVIS's help.

"How in the hell are we going to get back?" Rhodey looked around, inspecting the damage.  
"There's several suits," Tony offered.  
"There should also be a SHIELD jet nearby, hopefully," Thor shrugged and then furrowed his eyebrows. "We should really check on my backup team."  
"You had a backup team and you still walked in Norco all by yourself?" Rhodey asked, receiving a very cheerful nod from Thor.

He turned to Tony. "Right, so it's an Avenger thing, then?"  
The scientist pursed his lips and turned to Thor. "What does he mean?"  
"I couldn't tell," Thor shook his head, innocently.

Tony watched with a small smile as Rhodey led Pepper to the nearest suit and let Thor pull him in for another hug.  
He looked up at the god.  
"Are we going to be okay?"  
"No," the blond shook his head. "But at least we have each other."

That was good enough for Tony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is a very tiny chapter but I felt I wanted to let the wrap-up of what is basically Iron Man 3 be its own thing.  
> On to the next adventure ~


	7. Afterglow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Just like that, buddy, it's all over._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tony's "nothing has been the same since the invasion" speech is essentially, a modified version of his "nothing has been the same since New York" conversation with Pepper in Iron Man 3.

"Here's to none of you showing up thirteen years from now and blowing my house up!"  
Tony's toast was received with a round of glares and laughter.

"It's alright, Tony, you'll find a new way to piss people off," Natasha promised and climbed behind the bar to mix more drinks for Tony's cheery guests.

He couldn't recall inviting all these people to his New Year's party, but more people, made for a better party.

Natasha was in charge of drinks, Clint was already drunk and incoherently explaining something to a very confused Steve. Bruce was quietly sipping on his drink in a corner, having a conversation with Charles Xavier, who had proved strangely capable of drinking most people in the party under the table. Wolverine was trying to coerce Thor into smoking another cigar for his entertainment. Coulson was looking extremely uncomfortable as Deadpool had wrapped an arm around him and was endlessly running his mouth. Colossus looked a little too amused for the agent's liking. His fellow agents - Tony had counted ten so far - didn't seem to be in any hurry to lend a helping hand.

Pepper was laughing with Happy and Tony would have preferred if she wasn't there that night, she was still healing, but then, who could really say no to a Stark party?

The first fireworks were already painting the night sky when Tony walked up to the window. The hand on his shoulder proved to be Rhodey's.

"Only you could be fighting fire-breathing people at Christmas and having a reveillon come New Year's eve, Tony," he smiled. As soon as he looked at Tony's face, he knew the smile his friend was giving him in return was not sincere.  
"What's on your mind?"

"Everything, Rhodey. Nothing," he shrugged, bringing his glass to his lips. "We're stuck in this mess and celebrating that we didn't have our heads blown off."  
"Some people would call that celebrating life, Tony," Rhodey squeezed his friend's shoulder slightly.  
"Those people probably take pictures of their food for Instagram."  
"Tony Stark, Iron Man, sir!"

There was an extremely excited Deadpool behind him, except this time, he had an arm wrapped around what appeared to be Spiderman. The latter's face was hidden behind his mask, but judging by how focused he was on his hands, he was embarrassed.

"This is Spidey, you have heard of him," Deadpool left him no room for debate, "He's a big fan and I promised him he'd meet you."

He pushed Spiderman forward and walked slowly backwards, keeping his arms extended, as if to catch him in case his legs decided they didn't like keeping him standing upright anymore.  
He ended up landing on Wolverine, who didn't seem happy with the development.

"Don't get blood on the carpet!" Tony called out and returned to gazing out the window. "Want a drink?" he gestured at Spiderman with his glass. "I promise not to look. I'll even ask JARVIS to turn the cameras off."  
Spiderman shook his head. "I can't stay long, sir, there were just a couple things I've been meaning to tell you. Uh, first of all, I admit, I wasn't invited to your party. Neither was Deadpool, for that matter, we just said we were with Wolverine and-"  
"Couple of party crushers," Tony raised his glass, "I dig those. I am one."

"Wade insisted because he knows how much I, uh, admire you," he was staring at his hands again.

Tony shook his head. "Don't do that."  
"I'm sorry?"  
"Don't admire me. You're a better man than I could ever dream of being."

Through the white fabric that served as the mask's eyes, Tony thought he could almost see the younger man's actual eyes.  
"You're singlehandedly keeping Manhattan safe, all while making sure not to kill anyone. I, am a man getting people almost killed because I've done too many damn mistakes in my life," he widened his eyes and pursed his lips.

There was an awkward silence between the two men.

"Maybe you should stop drinking now," Spiderman suggested and Tony nodded enthusiastically.  
"You're probably right, but, I meant what I said. If anyone should be admired, it should be you."  
"And I meant what _I_ said," there was newfound confidence in his voice. "I don't know what happened to you these past few days, I'm just glad you're alive. In fact, I'm positive, no matter what all this mess was, it wasn't your fault. Well, except maybe the part where you gave your address out on live TV so a terrorist would come find you, but who doesn't put themselves in mortal peril every so often? I'd bet you regretted it."

Tony chuckled. "Oh, you don't know the half of it."

Spiderman turned on his heels, inspecting the room. "So, you've made mistakes. You're working on being better, doing better and in the end, that's what it's all about. The human condition and all that... I mean, all these people wouldn't show up to spend New Year's with you if you kept getting them almost killed."  
"I'm still pretty damn good at it," he shrugged, his tone bitter.  
"They're all alive so, no, you pretty much suck at it."

He let out a loud laugh and let his eyes wander around the room, stopping on some people for longer than others.

Clint and Natasha appeared to have slipped out when nobody was looking. Luckily, Thor seemed to have decided he was now in charge of the drinks.  
Their eyes met and Tony raised his glass, receiving a wink from the thunder god in response. 

"This is a very weird life we're leading," he announced, talking mostly to himself.  
"I'm glad you stopped by," he told Spiderman, as he noticed Deadpool approaching, presumably to take the young man away.  
There was only so much Wolverine could take, Tony guessed.

"It was an honor."  
"Let me see if I can do this right," Tony set his glass aside and turned to Spiderman with a serious face. "Ever heard of the Avengers Initiative?"

~

The following morning, Thor found him staring at an empty glass like it had all the universe's answers but was particularly tight-lipped.  
He looked at the thunder god through it as he approached with a small, puzzled smile.

"Just like that, buddy, it's all over."  
"Is 'it' referring to our latest adventure or last night's celebration?" he jumped on the couch next to Tony.  
"Six nights ago, Thor, we were all fighting for our lives against freakishly strong, fire-breathing people. _Six nights_ ," he emphasized, widening his eyes as he turned them on Thor.

The blond smiled brightly. "We were- and now, we're back here, victorious!"  
"For how much longer?" Tony stared at the depths of his glass bitterly.  
"I'm not sure what you mean. The victory is ours, nobody can strip it away from us-"  
"Except for the next person that attacks our homes or takes our people," he shrugged. 

Not having caught up to the real meaning behind Tony's words, Thor put a reassuring arm around him.  
"That, Tony, would be a whole new battle, with new villains and promises of victory."  
"So that's life, then?" his tone turned sharp. "We fight for our lives and our people because at some point we announced to the world that we're the assholes that are supposed to be protecting it?"

Thor's mouth was left hanging open. Blinking fast, he turned away from Tony. "That is, more or less, the life of a warrior. I thought that you-"  
"Thor, I am not a _warrior_!" he answered, aggressively placing the glass on the table in front of him. "Maybe you were raised to be one, but I was raised to be a-"  
Words failed him. "Well, something other than this. Then, I donned a suit of armor and went out there to fight armadas from outerspace, invite terrorists over for drinks and just lose everything in the process!"  
"Tony, I know you're upset about Pepper-"  
"This is not _just_ about Pepper, damn it!" he jumped off the couch, running his fingers through his hair and began to pace. "This is about everything. It's about me, you, New York..."

Thor leaned forward, observing the smaller man as he ranted on. 

"Killian was right about one thing," Tony stopped in his tracks and turned to the thunder god. "When you give evil a face, you hand the people a target. When you give _good_ a face, though, you hand _another_ group of people a target. I'll build bigger and better suits, they'll build bigger and better teams and they'll come charging at us, our _world_ , until every last one of us is a beaten, broken mess."

"There won't come a day where we can't fight," Thor smiled confidently. "They can come at us with all they have and we will- Judging by your face, that's not your idea of a successful outcome," he admitted, embarrassed, his gaze dropping to the floor.  
Tony shook his head- there was anger in his eyes. "Maybe up there in Asgard, you relish in battle, but down here, we're just regular sods that suffer and die."

 _'I don't know what your land is like, but here, people get irreparably hurt and lose everything-'_  
They were Maya's words, unbelievably similar to Tony's, now returning in Thor's mind. 

How he wished he could say either of them was right, that Asgard was truly the dreamy place they thought.  
He used to see it like that, once. But then, there was so much he didn't know.

"Your father raised you to be a prince and a warrior and storm peoples' homes down when they piss you off."

Dragged violently out of his thoughts, he fixed his eyes on Tony. The man's wrath wasn't truly directed to the thunder god, he just happened to be making for the closest, easiest target at that moment, he knew as much.  
Still, the words, filled with truths and reminders of times Thor wasn't proud of, hurt.

"You know how deeply I regret those actions, Tony," he said, his voice now lower.

"Yeah, buddy. I regret calling the Mandarin to blow me up but, here we are," he shrugged, pursing his lips.  
"That's enough," he said, glaring daggers at Tony.  
"The point _is_ ," Tony raised his eyebrows and opened his arm, gesturing vaguely, "This is pretty par of the course for you. This is what you do, this is not what the _rest of us_ were really made for. You have so much battle inside you, that you came all the way to Earth when you were out, to protect us, pathetic little mortals."

Thor jumped off the couch and closed the distance between him and Tony. "I never said mortals can't protect themselves."  
He _thought_ of it, certainly, but never outright declared it.

"I am here because Midgard is my home."  
"No, buddy, Midgard is your vacation spot. When you're bored, or tired, or you need to go do princely things, you can march back onto the golden land of the gods and let the rest of us unfortunate dickheads deal with fuck knows what."

He had more to say, with each word more incoherent than the last, travelling through this journey of making a point and hopelessly missing the right stops. Thor's broken expression however, derailed his mess of a train of thought.

"You can't," Tony announced, mouth left hanging, eyes wide. "You _can't_ march to- I _forgot_ -"  
Thor scoffed a bitter laugh out and turned his eyes on the ceiling.

Tony bit his bottom lip and searched for Thor's gaze. Right this moment, it was _imperative_ he found those eyes and erased that look of misery he had put there.  
"Thor?"  
"You weren't bred as a warrior. When your world needs you, though, you pick up arms and fight. Mine needs me, and I'm too much of a coward to do anything."  
"Thor? _Thor_ -"

The god was already walking away and Tony was stuck staring at his back.  
He sighed and hid his face in his palm.  
He didn't need terrorists to hurt his people, he thought to himself. He was quite capable of that.

~

Bruce suggested he gave Thor space and let him speak to Tony when he felt ready. Tony suggested he hated the thought that Thor was mad at him and he needed to fix it _at once_.  
The compromise was, giving the god a few hours to calm down before he approached him.

The Avengers (nee Stark) Tower was of course, much bigger than Tony's Malibu home used to be, so he had given Thor his own floor.  
It was evening once Tony gathered the courage to access said floor and a little later that same evening when he actually approached the thunder god, who was at the very end of the floor, sitting cross-legged on a window nook, playing on the laptop Tony had gifted him.

"I fully expected to have to explain to you how to work this thing," he stopped before him, crossing his arms.  
"Shows how much you know," Thor curved his lips in a smirk, sounding entertained.

Entertained was good. It wasn't mad.

"Should I just get you a Playstation?" he asked, climbing on Thor's nook, pressing his back against the glass, glancing at the screen, curious as to what Thor was playing.  
"I have no idea what that is, but it sounds fun."

He shut the lid and set his laptop aside, hugging his knee as he turned to Tony.  
"Drink?" he gestured at the mini-fridge beside him.

The words had already made it to Tony's lips, though and it was too late to stop them.  
"Bruce said I should let you come to me. I couldn't stand you being mad at me, so now I'm here and I know I want to say I'm sorry, but I feel like I should be saying so much more than that because _you_ -"  
"So," Thor raised his voice, interrupting Tony, "Yes, on the drink."

Tony glanced at the beer being offered to him- the very same type of beer they usually shared by the pool, back in Malibu.  
"This is going to be our thing, then? We have a party, I freak the fuck out and then, we talk over beers?"  
"Good friends make up traditions together," Thor raised his bottle. "Let us drink to that."  
"To good friends, or traditions?" Tony examined his own bottle.  
"Either. Both. Anything that leads to more drinking," Thor shrugged and clunk his bottle with Tony's.

In the few moments of silence that followed, Tony struggled to recollect his thoughts.

"I shouldn't have lashed out at you," he started.  
"I'm not mad."  
"Well, you _should_ be," Tony widened his eyes and turned to face Thor, resting his leg against the god's. "There were two people that came to help with this whole Mandarin mess and here I am attacking one of them because-"

Thor's eyes were staring right through him. Tony wasn't sure he was proud of everything they were seeing.

"Because," the word was more of an announcement than the beginning to an explanation, " _Because_. If there is a chance you have the answer for me now would be the best time to contribute it."

Now the god was laughing and Tony couldn't help cracking a smile, as he felt a weight being lifted from his heart.  
A world with a miserable Thor was a terrible world.

Thor threw his head back and closed his eyes. The smaller man could practically hear the gears in his head turning.

"Because... You are hurt. You are scared? You've had enough," Thor suggested. Tony lolled his head on the side, smiling a small, bitter smile.  
"Because," he leaned forward, his eyes widening as the realization hit him, "You were never meant to be a fighting man."

"I was never meant to be a man that held the fate of the world in his hands. I'm just not _fit_ for all this craziness. I'm a piping hot mess," he scoffed. "Truth is, nothing's been the same since the invasion."

Thor set his bottle aside and etched closer to Tony, observing the man's tired expression. 

"You experience things and then, they're over, and you still can't explain them," he went on. "Gods," he gestured to Thor, "Aliens, other dimensions. I'm just a man in a can."

Thor wanted to interrupt, remind Tony of everything he truly was, everything he had seen him accomplish. What his friend needed right that moment though, wasn't a pep talk, or a long speech- it was someone who would listen.

"The only reason I haven't cracked up is probably because you moved in."

The thunder god half-smiled. "I give you comfort?"

"You are here and I don't have to be alone in a massive house," Tony shrugged. "I don't have to always be keeping an eye on you because I _know_ you can take care of yourself better than _I_ could ever hope to. You fought a bunch of Killian's soldiers and you came out practically unscathed," he pointed at Thor's arm, now decorated by faint pale lines, a vague reminder of the burns he had sustained in that battle. "You let a ceiling come crashing down on you for my sake."

"You know I can take all of that and more, Tony."

"Well, you're here right now. You're here to share a beer and a laugh and _that_ means so much more than I could ever tell you."

The sun was setting, painting the two men in orange hues. 

"I could _explain_ what happened, I think," Thor said. "If there is one thing I can explain to you, it's war."  
"Can you explain why I can't sleep? Why the nightmares keep coming back, why do I wake up in cold sweat even when I can't remember what the dream was about?"  
The blond shook his head. "I have seen it so many times, but I never learned how to explain it."  
"Can you tell me what's up there?" Tony turned his eyes on the ceiling. Thor followed his line of sight, almost unwillingly. "Can you tell me what's coming tomorrow?"

Both men fell silent, staring at the ceiling as if it was about to come crushing down on their heads at any moment. 

Thor was the one to break the silence, as he turned to Tony and gently wrapped his hand around the back of the man's neck. Without much thought, Tony leaned into the god's touch.  
"I can tell you I'll be here to face it with you," he promised. "I don't have the answers, but I have the fire power."  
"You won't pack up and leave because I'm acting like an ass?"  
"If you piss me off too much, I can ask you to put the suit on so we can go a few rounds," he shrugged. "Maybe stock up on beer, though."

"Do you want to talk about Asgard?" Tony asked softly. Thor's hand slipped away from his neck as the god's expression darkened.  
Tony was surprised at how much he was missing it.

"No," he announced in a barely audible voice.  
"Okay," Tony shook his head. He sensed an awkward silence creeping up on them, but this time, he was faster.  
"Now, show me what you were playing and let me show you how extremely better I am at it than you."

There was gratitude in the god's eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The lines about "giving good a face" were basically out of a roleplay I did with my girlfriend. She is my sweetest inspiration.  
> 


	8. All in a day's work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just one of _those days_.

The fiercest warriors of Asgard were usually the strictest teachers when it came to passing their art down. Thor had met the most vicious educators, men that had spent their entire lifetimes studying war.

His newest teacher however, was truly a force to be reckoned with. A cold, merciless perfectionist that kept ignoring his desperate glances, wordlessly commanding him each time to get back in his booth and keep shooting the unfortunate cardboard manlet in the distance.

Her everwatchful eyes shot a glare at him when he approached once again, empty gun in hand. Moments later, his brother-in-arms mimicked him, looking extremely amused at Thor's predicament.

They all removed their noise-cancelling headphones simultaneously. She was the first one to speak, not giving Thor the chance to beg for release.

"We're going to take a break once I feel we've really gotten some work done," Natasha explained, glancing between Thor and Clint. 

"See, I'm perfectly fine," Thor rubbed the back of his neck, "I'm worried about Clint, he looks tired."  
He exchanged a look with the man, a silent plea for help.  
"Now that Thor mentions it, I think I'm practically exhausted."

She shook her head, fake sympathy drawn on her face. "Cry me a river, both of you."  
"Come on Nat, we both know he will get the real work done in the simulation room."  
"To get to the simulation room, I have to be satisfied with his performance here. Do I look satisfied?" she said, glaring daggers at the both of them, anticipating smartass comments.  
"I don't really have to stay, I know how to shoot a gun-" Clint started. A single glance from the woman was enough to send him back in his booth.

She reloaded Thor's gun, offering it back to the god. "Shoot some more and I'll buy you both lunch afterwards."  
"You are a cruel, merciless woman," his voice was breaking.  
"Compliments won't get you anywhere. Neither will crying."  
"It was worth a shot," he sighed hopelessly, putting his headphones back on.

~

The leather SHIELD armor created based on his measurements suddenly felt hot and restrictive. He leaned back, supporting himself on an office desk.  
His eyes were moving around the room, in a hopeless attempt to stay away from the man that was screaming at him.

"Damn it Thor, look at me!" Erik demanded, his voice breaking and lowering.  
The god shifted uncomfortably and forced himself to look at his friend in the eye.

Jane was still quiet, her tired, angry eyes fixed on Thor's face. He couldn't read her expression, he couldn't guess just what was going through her head. He had never really learned how to properly read Jane.

"I'm sorry," he managed, clearing his throat as he spoke, feeling his mouth suddenly dry.  
Erik's mouth was left hanging open. He closed his eyes and let out a deep, exasperated sigh.  
"I know that, Thor. What happened?! Why didn't you call?!"  
"I have been meaning to," he admitted, forcing himself to maintain eye contact.  
"What could possibly have stopped you?" Erik shook his head. "Thor, you left to go reclaim your throne from some crazy invincible dictator. You came back to earth and you didn't even think to _text_ me that you're alright?!"

Returning to Asgard was the very last thing Thor wanted to do after his breakup with Jane, but he still could no longer stay with her. With the exception of his armor and Mjolnir, he hadn't carried any treasures from Asgard with him. Anything he had purchased while living with Jane could fit in a small backpack.  
He had no clue where he was heading when he walked out of her apartment late that night, but Erik was already waiting outside, with a smile and an offer.

The man became his roommate for months after that. It was in his apartment Heimdall had managed to track Thor down in, bringing a tale of woe with him.  
Erik was the last person he had seen before leaving Earth to challenge Hela for the right to the throne. Sadly, he was also the only person that knew the beginning of the story the thunder god didn't want to share.

Different answers and excuses wandered through Thor's mind, but he decided that at that moment, his friend deserved the truth.  
He shifted his eyes between Erik and Jane, trying to gather the courage to utter the next few words that needed to come out of his mouth.

"I didn't return a victor," he announced. The words tasted like poison.  
"I hope there's more to it than that," Erik shook his head, receiving a look of confusion in response. "There isn't, is there?" he narrowed his eyes.  
"What else should there be? How could I come, look at you in the eye and-"  
"Thor, I don't care about your throne in the sky kingdom! I care about the fact that my _friend_ left on a _suicide mission_ and DIDN'T RETURN FOR MONTHS!" 

The door was shut, but Thor could make out the shadows of curious people stopping to listen in on their conversation. 

"Can we talk about this somewhere else? I will explain everything, just not here," he pleaded. 

Erik shook his head a few times. His gaze was empty, he looked like he was talking to himself.  
"I kept telling myself you got your throne back and had to stay in Asgard. I figured you didn't get a chance to pop back down, or send someone to let us know you made it, I figured... I was worried sick," he shrugged, turning the empty gaze on Thor, adding a fresh layer of guilt on Thor's shame. 

The god closed the distance between himself and the man, who jumped back, almost as if hit by an electric current. "No," he lifted his hand, the emptiness in his eyes turning quickly into anger. "I don't want to hear it."  
"My friend-"  
"I'm not your friend, Thor."

There was a finality to that statement that felt like a dagger in the larger man's heart, but before he could protest, Erik stormed out of the office.  
Jane crossed her arms and stepped in front of him. They locked eyes, but Thor couldn't seem to find any words to share with his ex girlfriend.  
"You keep doing this," she nodded, biting the inside of her cheek, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "You get in peoples' lives, then you come and go, as you please."  
"Did you _miss_ the part about the invincible dictator?" he growled, mad and ashamed of the truth in her words.  
"Thor, you could show up on his doorstep beaten and bloody, never say a word and he would open his home without a second thought. All that would matter to him, is that you were safe."

She stepped closer and they were now almost face to face. Thor felt like taking a step back.

"" _I_ am used to this," her voice was barely audible. "I'm used to mourning your presence in my life. How _dare you_ do this to _him_?" He stayed silent for a few moments, looking into the eyes that once held warmth and comfort just for him. "I want to apologize," he tilted his head slightly, "But it's not going to fix anything, or _mean_ anything." "We know you're sorry, Thor," she took a few steps back, her eyes now fixed on the floor. 

One moment, it seemed she had so much more to say. About Erik, herself, Thor, or everything they used to share, he didn't know. He wasn't going to know, she wasn't going to tell.  
The next moment, she had stepped out of the office, shutting the door behind her softly, making him wish she had slammed it.

He pushed a swivel chair away and it landed on the nearest wall with a thud.  
He climbed on the desk and shoved his face in his hands.

~

Thinking back to the battle with Hela, it had become apparent he didn't stand a chance against her early on. Yet, he kept fighting, because that was all he knew how to do. He kept fighting after his armor was covered in blood, after Mjolnir was shattered in her bare hands. He kept going, until his body no longer obeyed him and he lay on the Bifrost like a broken doll, while his sister decided on his fate. 

His fellow Avengers were led to believe he had landed on an uknown part of Midgard and wandered off to eventually find himself in the perimeter of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. A mostly true story, if only one were to omit the part where the massive metal man that discovered him had to essentially carry him inside, while his entire body ached and the gaping wound on his chest was covering them both in the god's blood, staining what was left of his armor.

He had refused to have that wound treated at first, but a particular small, hairy mutant had different plans for him. 

The wound was by now, a deep pink scar running across his chest, a reminder of his defeat in the hands of the woman he shared a father with.  
A reminder of his hopelessness and shattered pride.

A hand was suddenly wrapped around his forearm, jolting him out of his thoughts, forcefully pulling him back into reality.  
He stared into Natasha's green eyes, a look of confusion plastered on his face.

"Are you still with us, buddy?" Clint's voice sounded from his right and he turned to look at the male agent with the same puzzled expression.  
Clint shook his head. "You know, I'm going to take that," he gestured at Thor's face, "As a 'no' on the suggestion to talk about Asgard."

Natasha had promised them lunch and had delivered, taking them to a nearby casual Italian restaurant. 

Thor's mind snapped back into reality and his eyes fell back into his plate, finding there was less pasta in it compared to the last time he had checked.  
"Have you been stealing my food?" he narrowed his eyes at Clint, who was wiping marinara sauce off his chin.  
"No, you've been _eating_ your food."

Tricksy green eyes wandered between the two men and Natasha smiled. "When Clint's on the table, you snooze, you lose."  
The archer was suddenly very interested in the color of the sky and Thor stared at him above his glass as he took a sip of beer, pulling his plate closer.

"Is there a chance you want to talk about what happened today? With Selvig?" Natasha wrapped some spaghetti around her fork.  
"In all seriousness, if we _knew_ they were coming today, we would have warned you," Clint explained. 

Thor set his glass down with a frown. "What happened with Selvig is relevant to what happened on Asgard. So, no, I would prefer if we didn't talk about that, either."  
"I can't tell you for sure what each SHIELD agent may have overheard from that, but if they know what's good for them, they'll keep it out of the weekly water cooler gossip," Natasha's eyes seemed dark.  
"Don't worry, Thor. Natasha will murder people if they mention an old astrophysicist yelled at you. Seems like a fair punishment," Clint smiled brightly.  
His fork, slowly enroaching into the territory of Thor's pasta, was swiftly blocked by the god's own.

"Water cooler gossip _should_ be punishable by death," Natasha announced matter-of-factly.

Based on the matter of gossip, Clint seemed to have a story to share. Thor tried to focus on Clint's story, or at the very least, listen to bits and pieces of it, but his thoughts were running away from him.  
He could feel the overwhelming desire to just go _home_ creeping into his heart, but what was home, anymore?  
His mind's eyes brought up a picture of Tony pressed against a window, beer bottle in hand and the sunset stroking his face.

"Where were you?" he suddenly croaked, interrupting Clint mid-sentence. The archer glanced between Thor and Natasha, looking to the latter for any sort of guidance.  
"When?" the redhead asked simply, picking her drink up.  
"After the explosion."

Natasha remained expressionless while Clint shook his head. "I knew you'd ask that, buddy," his smile was bitter.  
"We had different assignments," Natasha explained. "We were too far to offer any substantial help."  
"It's not like we don't have shit to deal with, Thor," Clint shook his head, suddenly feeling tired. "We were all dealing with separate assignments and besides, it's not like Tony called to ask for our help."  
"Should he have to?"

"Tony is a strong, resilient man," Natasha explained, closing her eyes. "He's also very self-destructive and unpredictable. You can't expect us to be on the lookout for the next time he does something reckless."  
"I didn't ask you to _anticipate_ his next move. I was merely wondering why you didn't show up to help."

"Look, I like Tony, I like his antics," Clint jumped in. "I like his ingenuity and his craziness, but back in New York, we were fighting for the _world_. We teamed up to fend the big bad evil that only _one_ of us wouldn't have been able to handle. It's different. We all still have to fight our own battles, deal with our own demons..."

At that moment, it was painfully, glaringly obvious to him just how much he missed Lady Sif and the Warriors Three. Their devotion, their accountability, the promise that he wouldn't have to face this world's dangers or adventures alone. 

"Do you think _he_ would show up to help, should your own house blow up?"

Both of his fellow Avengers remained silent for a few moments. He let his eyes wander from Natasha to Clint and back.  
The redhead took a deep breath and met Thor's eyes. "Probably."

The god nodded, pulling his plate close. His own pasta had grown cold, but it still made for an enjoyable meal. 

The three agents finished their lunch in silence.

~

"I do have to say, it all lacks the aesthetic," donut in hand, Tony gestured around vaguely.  
"On the other hand, this time, you're not dying. I'd say it all balances out," Thor suggested, picking the last cruller out of the box that was resting on Tony's chest.  
He convinced himself the utter look of betrayal on the man's face wouldn't suade him into sharing his treat for a whole five seconds, before breaking it in half, watching as Tony's expression of heartbreak turned smug.

Thor's plans for that evening had been genious in their simplicity- become one with the cosiest couch Tony's tower had to offer, possibly getting drunk enough to forget who he was in the process.  
Seeing as he was sitting on the roof of a donut shop, sipping colorful iced tea and sharing fried delicacies with Tony, it was suffice to say his plans had been foiled.

The reason Tony had decided the roofs of places such as these were the best place to hang out after a hard day, was a whimsical detail in an otherwise terrifying story from Tony's recent past.

"Facing crises while eating donuts _in_ a giant donut? It's an experience," he pointed out. "Turning into a human vein puzzle because the very thing that's keeping you alive is poisoning you? Not so much."

At some point, as he was telling the story, Tony had decided the floor was better for his aching back than the metal door that led back inside the donut store, and Thor's thigh made for a wonderful pillow.

"I would like to hear _one_ story out of you where 'so I was dying' isn't a crucial part."  
"Shit, buddy, me too," Tony nodded enthusiastically. "Try the cinnamon one."

They fell silent, as Tony's mind was swept away by persistent thoughts. Thor let his eyes wander to the night sky, the sounds of the city reaching his ear. Times like these, he remembered just how hopelessly in love he was with this realm.

"Do you think that's how all our stories are going to be?" Tony broke the silence moments later. "'So we were dying'?"  
"Some of them, yes. Then others, will be much worse."  
"Fuck, you sure know how to make a lady feel good," Tony sighed, receiving a laugh in response.  
"Then, there will be other stories, that we will always remember more fondly. Stories that would never have happened if we didn't fight and survive," Thor continued.

"Like?"  
"Like... The time that Bruce came out of hiding and ran across the world, because his trusted friend's summer home had been blown up."  
"That wasn't a positive experience for anyone involved," Tony pursed his lips.  
"How about the time Tony fell asleep cuddling a pizza box while Pepper was still talking?" Thor's smile was mischievous.  
"You have no evidence," Tony narrowed his eyes, a small smile creeping up to his lips.

"What of the time Tony took a crushed failure of a prince in when he had nowhere to go?" his smile turned bitter, but his eyes were peaceful.  
Tony's eyes wandered. "Or, all the times when the handsome alien prince was the only one Tony could turn to?"

Thor ran his fingers through his friend's hair.

"I never saw it coming, you know," Tony continued, "You, showing up one day, just on the right time. Putting your life on the line for me and mine like that. You didn't have to. It would have made perfect sense if you just stayed out of the whole mess."

"I don't stay out of messes," Thor raised an eyebrow. "I sometimes make them worse, but I always participate."  
"I'm serious," he looked up at the thunder god. "Why _did_ you do all of this? Why didn't you just come back here?"  
"That's just not what I do," the blond shrugged. "I don't _leave_ a friend in need."  
He threw his head back, his gaze lost in the night sky once more. "Maybe an entire realm, though."

Placing the cardboard box down, Tony pushed himself on a sitting position.  
"Talk to me."  
He hugged his knees, fixing his eyes on the god's face. Thor remained silent for a few moments, recollecting rampant thoughts in his mind.

"Asgard was not always the queen of the nine realms. Father used to tell us stories of how he achieved peace and unity across the roots and branches of Yggdrasil. We were bred as warriors, yes, but growing up he always reminded us of the importance of good diplomatic relations and-"  
He stopped mid-sentence, scoffing a bitter laugh out. "I am so mad, Tony."  
"He lied to you," Tony shook his head. "He didn't just sign peace treaties and host parties, right? He _conquered_."  
"He led wars across the lands, with his trusty executioner by his side. His _daughter_."

Tony closed his eyes and pursed his lips, drawing in a deep breath. There was no appropriate response to that news.  
Or rather, he presumed Thor wouldn't consider all the intricate insults about Odin he was cooking up in his mind appropriate.

"I don't know the details myself, the hows and whys... I still haven't gotten a chance to speak to my father. My sister, Hela, was banished hundreds of years ago, made to rule over the dead of Helheim. 

There was a spell, keeping her at bay. According to her, the spell was broken when I denounced the throne."  
"Personally, I would take the word of anyone whose job description was 'executioner' with a grain of salt, but maybe that's just me," Tony pointed out. "Sorry, go on."  
Thor smiled a small, tired smile. "I wasn't there when she showed up, claiming herself the rightful heir to the throne. She demanded father stepped off, or she would unleash her army of the dead and slaughter every single soul on Asgard."  
"Please tell me that's not what really happened," Tony's voice was soft.

"No," the god sighed, "Father did step off the throne. The people were vastly outnumbered. The guard never stood a chance."  
"So where is your family?" Tony addressed the elephant on the rooftop.

Thor shook his head. "Father's fate remains, partially, a mystery. Heimdall told me he was banished, but not _where to_. Mother was offered a position with the council, she denied and made arrangements to leave for Vanaheim. Lady Sif and the Warriors Three were tasked to follow and protect her... She was still there, during my battle with Hela. I didn't speak with her beforehand, I feared she would try to stop me-"  
"Was there a good reason for that?" Tony rested his chin on his interlocked fingers.  
Thor was suddenly silent again, images of that first and possibly last battle against the sister he never knew he had flashing through his head, leaving Tony wondering if he had once again said the wrong thing at the wrong time.  
The smaller man almost breathed a sigh of relief when Thor spoke again. "In retrospect, she may have accepted my challenge to amuse herself."

They locked eyes. "I fought with everything I had. She proved victorious. My armor was ruined," he lifted his shirt, showing Tony the scar his sister had imparted to him, "As for Mjolnir, she broke it, Tony. Grabbed it in her hand and _shattered_ it."

He pulled his shirt back down, hiding Hela's gift behind thin fabric. "Thinking back on it all, I'm surprised I made it out alive. So, now, here I am," he gestured with open arms, looking like a man that was trying to embrace the entire world, "Completely lost as to what to do next, with no way to get back to Asgard, or speak to my parents, I'm just-"

He let his arms drop to his sides, deciding he had no good way of finishing that story. Just... what, he couldn't quite tell himself.  
Tony was silent for a few moments, pressing his forefingers on either side of his face, lost in thought. 

He was never a particularly _touchy_ man, but now he was witnessing himself reaching out, cupping the god's face in one hand and looking deep into his eyes.  
"Listen to me and listen good, okay?"  
Startled, Thor nodded softly.  
"This whole thing? Odin's lies, the battle you didn't win, the fall of Asgard? None of that was your fault. You made it out alive, we're going to figure the way out of all this."

His hand slipped lower and came to be pressed on Thor's chest, over the wound from Hela's sword.  
"We'll make you new armor. None of that SHIELD leather crap, you deserve better. You _need_ better. That's step one. Can you summon thunder without Mjolnir?"  
The god hesitated. "In _theory_. But without the hammer-"

Tony lifted a finger, interrupting Thor. "From theory to practice, it's just a couple extra steps."  
"I don't-"  
"If it turns out you can't summon thunder any other way, buddy, you're still not _powerless_. I've seen you fight, you're awesome. And _really_ hot, but that's something we'll address another time."  
"Now would be a good time," Thor shrugged, his eyes glowing under the streetlights.  
"Now would _not_ be a good time," Tony corrected him. "I _don't_ know how to get you back into Asgard, I don't know how to help you defeat your crazy sister, but damn it, we'll find the way. 

Your family is out there somewhere and nobody, _nobody_ is truly invincible, Thor. You didn't _lose_ your home, you were kicked out but you'll force your way back in. First, we'll make you a suit, though."

"We will make me what?" Thor stared, confused, as Tony jumped up.  
"You heard me. You're one of my people now, nobody hurts my people as long as I have a say in it."  
Picking the box with the remaining donuts up, Thor stood before the suddenly excited man.  
He could almost feel the glimmer of hope creeping back into his heart as he peered into Tony's eyes.


	9. Sleepless in New York

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some good old fashioned bonding and shenanigans, all in the style of Tony Stark.

As the years of his life flew by, bringing experiences and memories, Thor found he hated silence more and more.

When he was a child, it meant nothing interesting was happening he could get involved in. As he grew and his thirst for battle and adventure grew with him, it made him restlessly, desperately yearn for another day's glory.

As he grew even more, silence became a loud, lonely reminder of things the light of day and the sound of laughter helped him forget.

"JARVIS, is Tony awake?"  
"Mr. Stark is working in his lab, sir."

The AI didn't alert its creator when the thunder god slipped inside said lab and climbed on a short chair. Lost in his own world, Tony didn't notice the newcomer. 

Thor observed his fellow Avenger quietly. The holograms surrounding him cast colorful lights. He was focused on what appeared to be a silver gauntlet wrapped around his arm, humming a tune Thor couldn't quite place.  
He looked back up to one of the holograms and his lips spread in a smile. There was a spark in his eyes Thor had never seen before. 

"... This isn't the _final_ size, I want to make sure I have the _design_ right before I work with his measurements," he muttered. "Do you think he's going to like this? Bring up the image of his old armor. The arms were covered in chainmail, right?"  
"You can always ask him yourself, sir."

A soft questioning hum escaped Tony's lips and he searched around the room, finally noticing Thor, jumping and hiding his arm behind his back.  
"Where did you come from?" he sounded offended.

Chewing on his top lip, Thor stood up, pushing the chair away. He did the same with most of the holograms as he closed the distance between himself and Tony. "I live here now," he explained, widening his eyes when he stopped in front of the smaller Avenger.  
"Isn't it late? It must be late, you should be asleep," Tony glanced around nervously.  
"You look like a different man when you work," Thor tilted his head softly, grabbing Tony's attention.  
"How do you mean?"  
"I can't explain it. You look magnificent, it's kind of like you're glowing," he said, as he began to wander around the lab, examining each hologram separately. 

Tony stayed silent for a few moments, contemplating, bouncing on his toes impatiently.  
"I'll leave. I didn't mean to intrude," Thor promised.  
"Alright, so what do you think?"

The gauntlet-wrapped arm appeared in Thor's line of vision. The god took Tony's hand, silver-dressed fingers interlocking with his own.  
It looked sleek and light, very similar to the gauntlets Thor himself used to wear, before they were destroyed with the rest of his armor. He gently turned Tony's arm, examining the other side, finding a repulsor in the centre of the palm.  
"I'll show you how to use that," Tony explained. "It's very easy, I promise. This is just a first draft, I'm going to add more things, I kind of want you to greenlight the design."

Lights bounced off the gauntlet's surface as Thor twisted it around gently. "It looks incredible," he shook his head. "Asgard's most renowned blacksmiths would envy your skill, Tony."  
"I like it when people do that," he gently pulled his hand away and hid it behind his back quickly. "No more eyeballing, turn around."  
"It's mine, but I'm not allowed to see it?" Thor narrowed his eyes, a small amused smile appearing on his face.

"You know how you're not supposed to see the bride before the wedding? It's like that."  
"I've never heard of that tradition," the god admitted, as he turned on his heels, giving Tony the chance to remove the gauntlet in privacy.  
"Well, it's a bunch of bullshit, but you're still not allowed to see more just yet."

Thor waited quietly for a few more moments. Once the holograms disappeared and the lab's lights were back on, he turned to face his friend.  
"I truly appreciate what you're doing for me, Tony."  
"You will appreciate it once it's done and not a moment sooner," the man shook his head. He seemed to have more to say, but his stomach had other plans, as it growled loudly. 

Thor snorted and looked at him with fake bewilderment.  
Tony pressed his hand on his stomach with a grimace. "Shut up. Did I forget to eat? What time is it?"  
"Time for waffles?" Thor shrugged.  
"You're the best roommate ever, buddy."

~

"You are going to bend to my will," Tony growled at the sizzling clump of eggs in his pan.  
"I'd say they bent too far," Bruce peered over the man's shoulder. "What do we call this dish?"  
"Omelette. It's _clearly_ an omelette," he glared at the physicist, who was suddenly very interested in the contents of his teacup. 

"Why are you punishing yourself like that?" Bruce continued, amused, as Tony turned off the heat and scraped the browned omelette in a plate.  
"It's not for me, it's for Thor," he scratched the back of his head, rotating the plate, flipping pieces of omelette over, trying to figure out how to make it seem as visually appealing as possible.  
"I thought we _liked_ Thor," Bruce widened his eyes, looking far too amused for Tony's liking.

Ignoring the grimace plastered on his friend's face, the grey-haired scientist observed as he positioned the plate in the middle of the kitchen table, eyeing it over.  
"I kept him up all night," Tony explained. "I wanted to make him some breakfast, before sending him off to be butchered by Natasha for showing up at work in a less than perfect condition."

"What were you doing up all night?"

Tony shrugged. "Talking, eating waffles... I told him about my college days, how Obie screwed me over. How I made JARVIS, Dum-E, U... About my first few suits-"  
The man's voice trailed off and Bruce jumped in, assuming he was done talking. "That's-"  
"- In the end, I disassembled a couple gauntlets and chestplates, to show him how they work. He needs to know the basics, he's going to get his own suit," Tony continued as if he had never been interrupted.  
"Wait, you're making him a _suit_?" he placed his empty teacup next to the plate destined for the thunder god. 

"What, you expect me to leave him fumbling in that SHIELD nonsense?" he bounced on the balls of his feet impatiently, keeping his eyes fixed on his newest attempt at an omelette. "I know I should taste it, but I'm scared it will taste like shit."  
He shot Bruce a distressed glance. "I worked hard on that thing."

"You two _bonded_ , didn't you?" his friend asked, dodging the omelette-related conversation. A smile appeared on his face. "You and Thor getting so close, it sounds _surreal_."  
"If you told me just a few months ago this was going to happen, I would never have believed you," Tony pressed his elbows on the table, resting his chin on interlocked fingers. "Then he just lands on me out of nowhere and goes through all that _shit_ with me. You _bet_ I'm making him a suit," he turned his gaze on Bruce. "I'm marching up to Asgard with him, if he wants me to," he glanced at the ceiling for emphasis.

Almost as if the mention of his home realm had summoned him, Thor chose that moment to enter the kitchen.  
The possibility of him smelling Tony's cooking and coming in to check for survivors was also on the table. 

"Well, for someone that didn't sleep all night, you look great," Bruce smiled.  
"Yeah, he usually looks great," Tony said, immediately clearing his throat as he received a wink from the god. "This is for you," he reluctantly pointed at the burnt omelette. "Thought I'd make you breakfast."  
"I, on the other hand, think nobody deserves such cruelty," Bruce pointed out, earning a soft punch on the arm by Tony. 

Thor chuckled and combed through wet golden locks with his fingers, pushing them away from his face. "Thank you for breakfast, Tony," he said in a soft voice, as he struggled to cut through his egg mush with a fork. Both men observed keenly as he took the first bite, but his expression was unreadable.  
He pulled his plate close and continued eating, shoving forkfulls of omelette in his mouth. Tony shot a triumphant glance at Bruce.

"I'm calling this a success," the brown-haired scientist announced.  
"The jury is still out," Bruce narrowed his eyes, observing the alien prince suspiciously. "You're off to work, then?"  
Thor nodded. "Worse yet, I'm off to train with Natasha. I musn't let the slightest hint of exhaustion show."

"She _will_ know and you _will_ suffer," Bruce shook his head.  
"Pray for me, in this dark hour," Thor requested, pushing his mostly empty plate away. "Are you still bringing me coffee later?" he turned his eyes on Tony.  
"You bet."  
The blond beamed at them and jumped off his chair, holstering a gun Bruce hadn't noticed on his belt. He was soon out of the room and the older scientist was already pulling the plate near him.  
With a heavy sigh, Tony produced a second fork and the two men exchanged a glance, as they lifted the two forks between them, brandishing them like weapons.

An expression fitting of a defeated man appeared on Tony's face as he rushed to spit his failed project out. Bruce found himself _crunching_ where crunching shouldn't normally be needed.  
"He is one battle-hardened man," Tony muttered.  
"No, he just likes you _a lot_ ," his friend corrected him. "You owe him the finest coffee New York has to offer."

~

Tony pulled his phone away from his ear and stared at Bruce dead in the eye. The SHIELD Director's voice was jumping off the speaker and reaching both men's ears very clearly.

The 26 surviving members of the Iron Legion were now gathered in front of SHIELD headquarters and entering the building one by one, carrying cup holders with four cups of coffee each. Their orders were to distribute their bounty among the personnel, making sure not to get shot in the process.

Confused, trigger-happy, exhausted agents were soon crowding the suits of armor, some examining them curiously, some quickly grabbing their coffee of choice and disappearing behind doors. Fury was still screaming at their creator through the phone, baffled for having to explain why calling ahead to inform them he wasn't _attacking_ was not the protocol he should follow before bringing his suits around to serve coffee to the employees and agents. 

"Well, you should _make_ a protocol for it, then. Say, where could I find-"

A sudden pause and Fury went back to screaming, but Tony's attention was grabbed by the man that had just exited the building.  
"Never mind, found him," he interrupted the furious Director. "Keep up the good work. That one," he gestured at a specific cup of coffee on his paper cup holder, before hanging up the phone and shoving it in his pocket.  
"In my lifetime, I don't believe I have met a man as brilliant, or insane as you, Tony," Thor picked up his coffee, a gleeful smile appearing on his lips.

Bruce's eyes followed Tony's hand as he pushed his cellphone in a pocket of his pants. "One of these days, he is going to have you killed," he nodded along every word.  
"Hey, he decided I was unstable the moment he met me. Hi," he extended a greeting to the people that had followed Thor out of the headquarters. His eyes travelled from Clint to Natasha and came to rest on Steve.  
He pulled his sunglasses down, staring at the blond man over them. He wordlessly offered the cup holder to Natasha and then Clint.  
"I didn't expect to see you, so there's no coffee for you."

Smiling awkwardly, Bruce stepped around Clint to offer the cup he was holding to Steve.  
"No, don't give _him_ any, he doesn't get any," Tony protested, pushing his sunglasses back into place and taking a sip of his own coffee.  
"Thank you, Tony," Steve nodded, raising his cup at his fellow Avenger. 

"Look at that," Clint half-smiled, "It seems we have assembled."  
"What this seems like, is that Thor will do anything to get out of training," Natasha glared at the thunder god above her cup.  
"Training? You were training? So very sorry, I didn't know, I'm sure Thor is very sad we interrupted you," Tony's words sounded rehearsed.

The god furrowed his brows and stared at the depths of his cup. "You showed up with offerings, we couldn't simply ask you to leave."  
"Yes, it would be terribly impolite, my feelings would be very hurt," Tony shook his head with fervour.  
"I don't mind being impolite," Natasha tilted her head slightly, blowing softly at her beverage.  
"But Nat... Tony's feelings," Clint said dramatically.

A hint of amusement crept up on her face, as the men surrounding her burst into laughter. 

"So, now that we've assembled, what next?" Steve was the first to speak afterwards.  
"Lunch," Tony announced with a shrug.  
"I swear, all of you are allergic to work," Natasha rolled her eyes, wrapping her arm around Steve's offered one and following a suddenly very enthusiastic Thor.

 

Fury peered through his window, observing the Avengers as they wandered off.  
"This _is_ the time of lunch break," agent Coulson's voice filled his ears.  
The man smiled a soft, reserved smile at Mark 16 and picked the most enticing cup in the suit's cup holder.  
"He isn't _technically_ cutting into the workday."

Anyone that didn't know agent Phil Coulson would have a hard time picking up the amusement in his voice.  
Fury turned to the approaching suit, procceeded to glare at it, ignoring its offering for a few moments, before sighing, pinching the bridge of his nose and picking out the last cup of coffee.  
If he was going to be honest with himself, he desperately needed that cup of coffee at the moment.

"We can pretend he's doing this to build up team morale and strengthen their bonds. He is most definitely not doing this to show off and be a nuisance _just because he can_ ," he growled, curiously examining the black suit of armor as it exited his office, making, remarkably, no sound as it did so.  
"A stealth suit?" he raised an eyebrow.  
"Indeed. I know of that one," Coulson gestured at the general direction the suit had disappeared in. "Mark 16. He calls it the Nightclub, I believe."  
"Yes, of course he does."

~

They talked, they laughed. Thor wanted to say they bonded.  
He wanted to say he didn't notice the uncomfortable silences that came from bumping on the gaps in each other's stories, making it glaringly obvious there were too many secrets they couldn't quite trust one another with. 

He wanted to say he didn't hear the wistful hue in Tony's voice when he asked them not to be strangers.

The rest of the day was gruelling and the more exhaustion set in, the darker his thoughts became.

Natasha was surprised to see him become more involved and persistent in working and training as the hours went by.  
Anything to keep his mind busy.

 

That very same night, he lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling through burning, exhausted eyes, wordlessly cursing as sleep was refusing to come, scared away by the loud noise and images in his mind. 

 

As JARVIS promised Tony was still up and working somewhere in the tower, he dragged himself out of bed and scouted for his friend, eventually finding him with Pepper on his side, protesting loudly as she kept handing him papers.  
Judging by the deadly glare she was offering him, this hadn't been the first time he had asked her to forge his signature. 

He forced the warmest smile he could muster up on his face and greeted the CEO of Stark Industries, who quickly jumped off the couch and rushed to hug him.

Few things in life made two people bond like going through an EXTREMIS infusion together. 

There was a shade of worry in her eyes when she pulled away. She cupped his cheek with a soft hand.  
"Are you feeling alright?"  
"No, he's not. I kept him up all night and he's _still_ up. Are you here to wreak vengeance for that omelette?" Tony widened his eyes.

The glance Pepper shot him was one of pure horror. "You cooked?!"  
Tony deflated, sinking deeper into the couch. " I wanted to make him some _breakfast_. It was meant to be a _good thing_."  
"Not according to the Geneva convention, it shouldn't be," she pointed out and Thor burst into laughter, his heart feeling just a little lighter.

He climbed on the couch right across from theirs, gladly accepting the glass of wine Pepper offered him. 

He managed to stay awake for about an hour more, enjoying Tony's desperate glances and pleas for help as Pepper scolded her own boss several times.  
It was some time after his third glass of wine that he finally passed out on the couch, hugging and drooling on the fluffiest pillow he could find.

 

"Maybe we should call it a night," Pepper suggested, an amused smile creeping up to her lips when she noticed the exhausted alien prince had fallen asleep.  
Tony narrowed his eyes. "I kept telling you I was sleepless and exhausted, but _now_ you want to call it a night because Thor's asleep?!"

She collected most of her dossiers and smiled a small, vicious smile at Tony. "I actually _like_ Thor, you see. Besides, you're a big boy," she continued, never giving him the chance to protest, "You can finish the rest by yourself."

Desperation washed over Tony's features, as his eyes wandered away from Pepper and onto the papers in front of him.  
"What did I do to deserve this- No, wait, don't answer that," he raised a hand, his expression quickly shifting into one of pure exhaustion.

A well-manicured hand brushed through his hair and Tony was surprised to see the woman's expression was much softer and more gentle than he thought he deserved. Moving closer to the couch, she pressed a kiss to his forehead.  
"Finish up and get some sleep. I'll be back for more at 10 am, sharp."

He watched her as she walked away, disappearing up the staircase that would lead her to the bedroom that was, once upon a time, theirs.  
He waited for the familiar sense of guilt and longing that would usually come bite at him every time he watched Pepper walk away.  
Surprisingly, this time, a foreign sense of serenity he did not recall inviting in seemed to be trying to settle in his heart. 

After enlisting Dum-E's help, he moved the couch right next to the one Thor was sleeping on, re-arranging his living room, so he could be closer to the sleeping thunder god. 

 

Pepper was back at 10 am sharp, just as promised, bringing along Bruce and a hot cup of coffee with her.  
Tony was snoring surrounded by a sea of papers. His arm was extended beyond his couch, hanging right above Thor, his fingers inches away from blond hair.

Bruce and Pepper exchanged a glance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't make any of the information on the Mark 16 up, I found them all [here](https://ironman.fandom.com/wiki/Mark_XVI).


	10. The Isle of Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor is reunited with Frigga and Heimdall, who bring bad news regarding the Allfather's entrapment.  
> Tony won't let them accept defeat.

"Look at me."

Wedging himself between Thor and the bar counter, he demanded the god's attention.  
He could feel their guests' eyes piercing right through him. _They_ could feel he was refusing to care.

"I don't care who they are, what they had to do to get here, if I have to keep seeing that look on your face for a second more, I'm kicking them out."

Defeat, exhaustion, surrender. Any one of those words could explain the look clouding the thunder god's gaze and not a single one of them were fit to be appearing in his eyes.  
He wordlessly stared at Tony, baffled, before glancing away from him and onto his mother and Heimdall. 

"It's not _them_. It's everything they came to say," he explained.  
"Well, they're just going to have to stop saying it," Tony glared at the former queen of Asgard over his shoulder. "And, if they can't afford to, we're fixing it. 

Whatever _it_ is."

Heimdall wordlessly turned his golden gaze on Frigga, that seemed to have frozen, curiously examining this peculiar man that was promising to protect her son from his own people, should the need arise. 

She let out a sigh, filled with sorrow and regret.  
"We can't."

Tony didn't stop to consider the pain in the former Queen's voice, or study her wistful gaze.  
"Why not?" 

\--

_There was blood and dust caked on her dress, what was left of the tangle weeds that had tried to strangle her were squeezing her chest and ankles._

'I searched for so long, I thought I had lost you...'

_Her husband's golden seiðr surrounded her, covering her body in an armor-like fashion, while her own light blue magic burst through her fingertips, slicing through the rock troll before her._

'You shouldn't have come,' _Odin's deep voice echoed through her mind._

 _The orange-skinned troll opened its mouth, but no sound came out._

\--

"The Isle of Silence is its own separate dimension," Frigga climbed on a chair offered to her by Heimdall. "Hela is a clever woman. It's so _close_ to Asgard, it took me a while to even _consider_ that could be where she banished my husband to."

"Is this a case of edgy naming for the _sake_ of edgy naming, or is it something more _literal_?" Tony asked, filling four crystal tumbler glasses with his most expensive wine.  
A small smile escaped the former queen, raising her glass in toast to her host, before taking her first sip. "Quite literal. There is no sound in the Isle of Silence. 

The deepest voice and the heaviest footsteps are simply lost to the silence."

She peered into her glass.  
"I could only speak to him telepathically."

\--

_She didn't manage to evade the very next strike the island's guardian directed at her and she was soon tossed into the murky waters of the Sea of Mist.  
A ring of golden magic was wrapped around her waist and Odin lifted his wife out of the water. _

_The troll charged at her once again. This time, she was charging as well, liberating a poisoned dagger from her belt._

_In the distance, the island's volcano let out another huff of smoke._

\--

"It's inhabited by rock trolls, for the most part, though the place really belongs to the Silent Ones."  
"Edgier yet," Tony pointed a finger at Frigga, as he took a sip of his drink. "I'm imagining big and powerful?"  
"- And, essentially, of Æsir parentage."  
"You've got troll cousins?" he threw his head back, looking up at Thor and offering him his most playful smile, coaxing a smile out of him in return.

"You're never letting this go, are you?" he muttered next to Tony's ear.  
The smaller man turned back to Frigga with a bright smile. "I'm sorry, you were saying?"

\--

'Stop,' _Odin's pained voice echoed through her mind_ , 'Not another step. Get out of here, while there's still time. You are going to get trapped with me.'

_There was anguish on the troll's face. The wound on its stomach oozed blood and a green substance.  
Frigga had never really wanted it to come to this, but, desperate times, called for desperate measures._

_The troll collapsed and Frigga rushed away, needing to travel farther onto the island to find her husband, who was, for the time being, a faint gold glow in the distance, trapped inside a forest._

_A glow that grew fainter, as she approached, eventually fizzling out._

'My love?'

\--

"What do you mean, he doesn't want to come out?" Tony widened his eyes, glancing back at Thor, to see the now familiar expression of defeat crossing his friend's eyes.  
"No," he shook a finger in front of his nose. "Don't you dare, _nothing_ is over yet."

\--

'I don't want you here. I don't want to leave this place.'

_She swallowed hard and squinted, trying to sense her husband's seiðr.  
A stray, passing thought informed Odin she was full of worry that he was losing his mind._

_She couldn't see him shaking his head._

'The Isle has not yet taken my mind. I need to stay. There is so much... I have done wrong. So much I need to reflect on.'  
'The Island of complete silence is not the place for that!' _she protested, growing frustrated with her husband._

_She cut through more weeds with her dagger, as they rose up to trap her once again._

_As the remains of the enchanted weeds that were trying to trap her fell all around her, she allowed herself to stop and take a deep breath.  
An ill-advised decision, as the noxious gas of the volcano entered her lungs, draining her of her strength further. _

_In the distance, her eyes caught the glow of Odin's magic, slowly growing brighter, as her husband was closing the distance between them._

_Tears rolled down her cheeks when he emerged from in between the trees._

_No mist stabbing through her lungs, no vines trying to choke her could stop her as she ran through the Isle's swamp to fall in his arms._

\--

"Heimdall was waiting on the other side of the Sea of Mist," Frigga turned to the large man, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Ever-faithful and ready to fight for us, every step of the way. Even when he's no longer duty-bound," her smile was a mix of bitterness and gratitude.  
"It's my own _personal_ duty. I am faithful to Odin and his line," he cupped the former queen's hand.

Thor was silent, fiddling with his glass, staring at it as if _it_ had been the one to deny his father a way out of the Isle. Frigga leaned over the counter, clusping her hands together, trying to catch his gaze.

"The Isle of Silence is full of mists, gases, _magics_ that weaken the Æsir," when the thunder god spoke, his voice was raspy. "Is he trying to kill himself?"  
Tony narrowed his eyes and observed the blond man's face. Defeatism was giving way to a slow, simmering anger. 

"Your father is a powerful Seiðrmaster and a remarkable warrior. I will keep going back to him, until he is ready to come out."

Thor shook his head, furrowing his eyebrows. "He has a duty to the people of Asgard. To his _family_. To _us_."

"Dear, you have to understand," Frigga said in a soft, calm tone. "Your father-"  
"I am done _understanding_!" Thor yelled, the crystal glass shuttering in his palm. 

He stared at the shards that fell out of his hands, his expression one of pure bewilderment. He turned to Tony, mumbling an apology.

The smaller man snorted and took his hand, examining it for cuts. Unsurprisingly, he didn't find the faintest scratch.  
"You're fine," he whispered, stroking Thor's palm with his thumbs.

His god's hand was still in Tony's as he turned to his fellow Æsir. "This is not the time for introspection. What news do we have from Asgard?"  
"She does not seem to be planning war in the traditional sense, but one can achieve conquest in different ways," Heimdall exhaled sharply. "The people are safe, _as long_ as they obey her rules. Any signs of spywork and rebellion are drowned out, before the people trying to organize have the chance to rise and unite. She even appointed an executioner..."

"Has she been contacting the other realms?" his attention was drawn away from Heimdall momentarily, as Tony let go of his hand.  
"We have no news on that front, but I can almost promise you, when she does, she will wave her Undead Army in the leaders' faces so they will bend to her will," the Watcher growled.

Thor turned his gaze on his mother. "You can't tell me he needs time for introspection, when our people are _abused_ by a crazy totalitarian. When _you_ are bending over backwards to figure out a solution, when his _last remaining_ son is defeated and banished," his voice boomed out, his eyes widened.  
It was his turn to lean over the counter, reaching out to take her mother's hands.  
She blinked tears away from her eyes, fixing them in her son's.  
"You can't come here and tell me we are going to roll over and accept that this is the end. You can't come here and tell me father is simply refusing to come out. I don't care," he shrugged, shaking his head for emphasis. "I refuse to respect that at this moment, he needs _solitude_. Time to recuperate and plan, yes, but he's going to have to - You're about to tell me I don't understand, aren't you?" 

The passion and vigor in his voice died out as he watched Frigga bring her fist to her mouth, shut her eyes and shake her head.

"It's not _introspection_ , is it?" 

Blue and golden eyes turned on Tony.

"He doesn't want to be _alone_ and think things through. He just can't face his daughter," their host proclaimed.

\--

_Danger lurked around every corner, but it would have to wait.  
Odin wrapped his arm tightly around his wife's waist and she rested her head on his shoulder._

'I hoped I would see her again. Not like this.'

_Frigga looked up at her husband and his bitter smile._

'I know it was foolish, to dream her banishment would change her, that she would come back kinder. That she would understand what we did was sow pain and chaos. I can't do it, Frigga. I can't fight Hela again. I know I said I would fight her to my very last breath, but I can't. Not again,' _he pressed his forehead to his wife's and she cupped his face._

'I had to watch her fight Thor. Defeat and scar our son, Odin,' _her mind echoed of resentment._ 'She broke Mjolnir, banished him back to Earth!'  
_He closed his eyes and drew in a deep, pained breath._ 'He is safe, as far away from her as possible. He can't defeat her.'

\--

"Maybe alone, he can't," Tony was refilling Heimdall's, Frigga's and his glass, rummaging through the bar's cupboard to find a new one for Thor. "But alone, he isn't."

\--

'She is a powerful tactician, a battlemage with dark powers and while she lives in Asgard, she is invincible,' _there was pain in his voice, melting Frigga's anger away. She pressed a kiss to her husband's forehead._

\--

"Nobody's invincible," Tony pointed a finger at the former queen. "If some mumbo jumbo's making her _extra_ powerful, we're just going to have to figure out a way to remove her from Asgard."

\--

'There's no way.'

\--

"There's always a way."

\--

'I refuse to leave you behind,' _she announced, tears welling up in her eyes._  
'It's what I want of you,' _he took her hand in his and kissed it._ 'One day, I may be ready to return. One day, I may be ready to face the truth, my mistakes, my daughter... And most terrifying of all-'

_She found her husband's gaze, trapping it in hers._

'Thor.'

\--

Tony looked up at the thunder god. Hope shone through his eyes and he smiled the warmest smile, just for Tony. 

Curious mortal he was, Frigga decided, tilting her had and observing him. His voice held confidence, his words were raw power. There was fire in his eyes, that drew the people surrounding him in, leading them to believe, trust that this man could build an empire out of ashes.

"I want to believe you," she sighed, her eyes drifting over to her son, who only had eyes for Tony Stark, at that very moment. 

The moment his mother surely knew, he would soon be recalling as the moment he knew he was in love. 

"We're dragging him out of there," Tony announced, keeping his eyes fixed in Thor's. "We're _dealing_ with Hela, one way, or another, or a third one. We don't have to force him to fight his daughter again, there is _always_ an alternative. Bottom line is, we're taking Asgard back."  
" _We_?" there was a hint of a smirk on Heimdall's face.

Tony nodded vigorously.  
"We."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [All the information on the Isle of Silence were taken from the Marvel Database.](https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Isle_of_Silence)


	11. Skyfall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Like bullets dyed crimson and golden, two members of the Iron Legion shot through the night sky, coming to play among the stars._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is done and being uploaded much later than I would have hoped, between life being a bitch and me simply not being satisfied with it, I had plenty of trouble. Still, here we _finally_ are, I am still alive and more chapters are coming up. Also, wow, this story just went over a 100 kudos and I am over the flipping moon ~
> 
> [Information on Mark 33 came straight from the Iron Man wiki](https://ironman.fandom.com/wiki/Mark_XXXIII_-_Silver_Centurion). The title of this chapter, you guessed it, is inspired by Adele's song.  
> Hell of a song to be listening to when writing a first kiss.

"I call it the 'Iron Thunder'."

The glass case was illuminated, drawing the eye to its contents. Most of the suit's intricate circuitry and wiring was still visible, its heart's light was switched off.  
The former queen's eyes wandered over the newest addition to the Iron Legion, quietly admiring its maker's handiwork.

"It's meant for my son," she realized, pressing her fingertips on the glass that separated her and the suit of armor.  
The spotlight guided her eyes before the Iron Thunder's boots, to the crown jewel of the display - the helmet. Silver and glistening, with a sapphire colored wing carefully carved on each side. 

"Still a work in progress, obviously," Tony shifted his weight nervously, studying Frigga's expression. Her awestruck eyes, curiously examining his creation was better than any words of encouragement or approval she may have had for him. 

" _Given_ how there's a king trapped in a silent, deadly dimension, in need of forceful rescuing right now, however-"  
He took a few steps backwards, directing the goddess's attention to a different suit of armor, standing dormant beside his workbench.  
Tony placed a hand on the deep crimson armor and, as if invigorated by its creator's touch, Mark 33 powered up, casting its core's light on Frigga.  
"We need a good, temporary solution," Tony continued, a smile full of pride blooming on his face as he exchanged a glance with the empty suit of armor.  
"Your Majesty, meet the Silver Centurion."

Her lips curved up in a smirk as the suit respectfully bowed before her, with more grace than she had seen in members of the royal court. She returned the bow, stifling a giggle upon hearing the suit's creator calling it a show off.

"The Iron Thunder still has a long way to go before it's battle ready and I _refuse_ to let Thor go on an island full of rock trolls and noxious gases dressed in subpar SHIELD leather."  
"So, he gets to borrow one of your older children," Frigga nodded, circling the Silver Centurion with inquisitive eyes, examining its gold and silver highlights, its complex plates and lines, connecting into a sleek, harmonious design.  
"Why this particular suit, you may ask?" the excitement in Tony's voice was palpable as he gestured to the various other glass cases that surrounded them. "It was designed with an enhanced energy output, meaning it can transfer energy to all the repulsors built in its system."

Hearing the magic words, Mark 33 held out its open hands, showing the repulsors in the centre of each palm and then, sticking its thumbs out, gestured to the arc reactor glowing in the centre of its chestplate. 

"It packs a punch and provides for a quicker getaway if things get too hairy. Bonus point - if you would stand back," Tony requested. The goddess took a careful step backwards and the inventor snapped his fingers, signaling to the suit it was time to present its blades. They were unsheathed from the centre of the gauntlets' wrists, reflecting the lab's lights and the sudden gleam in the woman's eyes.  
"I figured I'd start him off with a weapon he's more used to."

Frigga intertwined her fingers with the suit's, pulling the sharp blade closer to her eyes. 

"Every piece of war, speaks its own language," her smooth voice filled the room. "There is a hum of power in this armor, its heart is full of life. These," she gestured at the blade she was holding softly, "Speak their own language entirely. Hold them close, you can hear palpitations. They're made of a different metal than the rest of the armor, correct?"

"Vibranium," he explained, gifting her his brightest smile. "It can absorb, store, and release kinetic energy. Hard to come by, a marvel to work with. A third the weight of steel and it can cut through any known metal."

Frigga pulled her fingers away from the crimson ones and the blades were retracted. 

"I've been alive for thousands of years, been to different realms and seen the best they had to offer... Creators such as you are born once every few centuries. Not that you need the ego stroke," her lips twisted into a playful grin.  
"It's not a necessity, but it is always welcome," he admitted. 

The goddess tilted her head, curiously examining him with those eyes that were almost identical to Thor's. "I have been meaning to thank you for everything you are doing for my son."  
"I just happened to have a roof to put over his head," he pressed his lips together, widening his eyes. "I can't begin to tell you how much his presence here did for me."

"I think I can guess," her gaze wandered lazily around the man's lab, jumping around tools, holograms, equipment. "There is a part of you, in each and every one of your creations."  
"Truer than I'd care to admit," he shook his head.  
"So, now you're creating a suit of armor for him, on your own volition," she announced, letting the weight of her words silently travel in their echo.

They both fell silent for a few moments, as Tony dug through a toolbox and Frigga walked through the lab, stopping in front of suits of armor and monitors.

"When they consider you one of their own, artists paint you and writers put you in their stories," he eventually broke the silence. "I make suits."  
He could feel the smiling blue eyes on his back.

"Now, all due respect, Your Majesty, I'd still like to make some improvements to Mark 33-"  
"You're kicking me out, so you can work in peace," she filled in the blanks, amused.  
"So glad we're on the same page."

A gentle hand was pressed on his shoulder as his eyes disappeared behind dark red goggles. Moments later, Frigga was stepping out of the lab and he was getting lost in that world that was just his own. 

~

"Subcutaneous implants," the thunder god explained, catching his mother's inquisitive gaze passing over the bruises on his crossed arms, resting on the railing surrounding the roof of Avengers Tower. "They allow the armor to communicate with my nervous system and carry out my commands."

He examined the dark spots with a prideful smile. "Of course, Tony had to make a special reinforced needle just to pierce my skin. Several of them shuttered on impact before he managed to create an adequate one."

"Both your arms are covered in bruises. I'd say your friend's needle was more than 'adequate'," Heimdall pointed out, earning a glare from the former prince. 

"You just lost your coffee privileges," the blond gestured at the cup he had brought back for the Watcher.  
Heimdall responded with a cryptic smile and grasped his bounty with two hands, moving a few steps away from the slighted god. "You could always try to get it back."

A faint blue glow surrounded the chuckling Frigga's fingers and came to envelop Thor's wounded arms. She took a sip of her own beverage and smiled brightly at her son.  
"I saw the armor he's making for you," she said, nearly choking on her coffee as the thunder god leaned closer with anxious eyes and a big smile.  
"He's not letting me see it. What does it look like?" he asked eagerly.

"Well, it looks like-" her voice trailed off and she focused in the depths of her cup religiously. "Like he doesn't want you to know, just yet. I choose to respect that."  
Thor's grin melted. "My own mother is against me."

She closed the small distance between herself and her son with a smile, resting her head on his shoulder. She let her eyes wander off, into the distance, admiring the setting sun.

Last time she had felt her heart at peace, was before Balder's death, long before she even knew of Hela's existence, ages before she had watched her family tear apart and their kingdom being usurped under the threat of blood and fire.  
The newfound hope nesting in her heart at that very moment, that faint promise for a better tomorrow, was almost criminal.

She turned to her firstborn son, finding his brows furrowed and his own eyes dark. She ran her fingers through messy blond strands, but remained silent. 

If there were words his heart demanded he shared, he wouldn't need help finding them.  
Instead, she received a forced smile. 

"Is there something in your mind, my love?" she tried, with an encouraging smile.  
"My mind is quiet," fake enthusiasm colored his voice.  
"It was lies and secrets that brought us to this point," she said, cupping his face softly, capturing his eyes in her own. 

"Don't I know that," he growled in response, startling his mother. Regret washed over his features seconds later and he took her hand in his own.  
"I can't seem to remember an instance of us having something positive to say, mother. I'd rather stay silent than let more bitter words ruin the moments we share," he continued.

Her hand slipped away, coming to rest on his chest, pulling at his shirt to reveal part of the scar Hela had imparted him. She trapped the thin fabric in her fist, that was soon glowing with familiar seiðr.  
"Thoughts of pain are like wounds. If not treated, they fester."

Her hand was glowing brighter by the moment, as she focused her magic on the malformed skin.  
She narrowed her eyes, ground her teeth, focused until white spots came to cloud her vision and Thor pried her fingers off his shirt.  
The scar was still there, a deep, angry reminder of just who they were dealing with.

She glanced up to him, her face turning into a grimace of pain and frustration. The thunder god brought his mother's hand to his lips. 

"I couldn't protect you," she shook her head. "None of you."  
"What did I say about bitter words?" his voice was gentle. 

"Unlike the mental reminders of pain," Heimdall spoke up, pressing a firm hand on Thor's shoulder, "The physical ones come with better stories. One day, this," he pointed at the blond god's chest, "Will be the setup for a story of great victory, because that is just the kind of sons you raised," he promised.

Thor decided it was the wrong moment to tell the Watcher he was placing too much faith in him.

~

"I'll blast them."

The voice came from Thor's left, startling him. A smile crept up on the god's lips as he found tired, glowing brown eyes. 

The sun had set long ago. His fellow Æsir had left him alone on the roof.  
His coffee had grown cold.

"Who will be suffering your wrath?" the god asked.  
"Whoever gave you the long face. Those eyes of yours weren't meant to look sad," Tony proclaimed. 

"Will you blast Hela, then?" his smile turned bitter.  
The look on his friend's face was all the response he needed. 

Thor snorted and stuck a finger out, softly pressing it on Tony's lips for a brief moment. "I know that look."  
"Happy to see we understand each other," the inventor raised an eyebrow. 

Silence fell between the two men, as Thor peered over the edge of the tower, quietly admiring the bustling city.  
Tony leaned against the railing, keeping his eyes on the god beside him. 

"My mother has had to be strong for all of us, for so long," the larger man soon broke the silence, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Now she's finally here and I want to promise her I will fix everything-"  
"-But, you're scared," Tony nodded softly, closing his eyes. Thor didn't need to exchange a single glance with his friend to know how deep his words struck, how familiar he was with the sentiment, the _pain_ behind them.

"I have no idea how to fix this," Thor threw his head back, letting his eyes get lost in the night sky. "I know I need to get my father out, I know I will do it despite what he has to say... I have no further plans."  
"You don't need any," Tony shrugged, "You know what the next step is, that's all you need right now."  
"You don't plan ahead, do you?" the blond's lips curved in an amused smirk.  
"You know me better than that."

Thor took a step closer to the smaller man, gently pressing his forearm against Tony's.

"I'm not quite sure how you can fix this," mimicking the god, Tony glanced up at the stars. "But I sure as hell know how to get you up there."

He guided Thor's puzzled eyes to the suits of armor he had failed to notice.

"When life gets _me_ down, I like to tell it to go fuck itself and then, buddy, I _fly_ as high as I can."

He peered into excited blue eyes and let the joy within them fill his heart. 

"That's more like it," he beamed at Thor. "Now, let's see if I can make a better teacher than Natasha."

~

Like bullets dyed crimson and golden, two members of the Iron Legion shot through the night sky, coming to play among the stars.

Thor's laugh echoed through the transceiver system, bringing a smile to Tony's lips.

"See if you can follow me, chuckles," the creator spoke up, his voice traveling to the god's ears crystal clear, almost as if they were sharing a suit.

The man in the older model fell in line, changing speed, direction and altitude according to the suits' creator. He couldn't feel the wind beating against his skin, but he could hear himself tear through it. He closed his eyes for just a moment, letting the defeated breeze carry his dark thoughts away.  
He had missed this feeling so very much. 

The armor-clad duo dived together, reaching down, almost to the tops of the buildings of New York City, only to disappear again into the star littered darkness. 

Thor didn't seem to appreciate Tony's skill with sky pirouettes, or how much he liked flying circles around him. His graceless efforts to mimic him were a testament to the god's envy.

It was during one of those circles that the inventor came to hover in front of the thunder god, mere inches away from him.  
With enviable dramatic flair, he threw his arms open.  
"Catch me?" he offered, killing his thrusters and letting himself plummet through the void.

Dread washed over Thor and he directed the suit downwards with a pounding heart, chasing after his free falling friend.

He braced himself for the impact as he reached Tony and gathered him in his arms. Metal crashed on metal, sending a terrifying echo through the night, but the devastating blows their bodies were meant to sustain were absorbed by the suits.

Thor came to a graceless, unstable hover, keeping his arms wrapped around Tony. 

"Give me _one_ good reason for what just happened," he growled.  
The smaller man raised his hands. "Easy, tiger," he panted, feeling Thor's embrace tighten around him. "That was another well-calculated step in Tony's training curriculum."

He couldn't see the god's eyes, but the silence was enough to carry the deadly glare Tony knew he was receiving over to him.  
"If, for whatever reason, you didn't manage to catch me, the suit would slow my fall down, eventually suspending me in mid-air and driving me to a safe place, _even_ if in the meantime, I was unconscious. I took care of that, after the invasion."

"In retrospect, I should have known," Thor groaned. "Don't put your life in my hands."  
"Best hands to put my life in," Tony countered, resting his arms on Thor's shoulders. 

Hidden inside the suits, floating somewhere over the bustling city, the two men looked like they had been caught mid-dance.  
A strange, dangerous dance meant just for them.

The god's heart was pounding once again, for reasons entirely different. 

"Next time, I let you fall," he announced, trying his best to sound serious.

"Would you, really?" Tony's voice was smooth.

"Never."

~

"There is so much I want to show you," Tony confessed. "It's been a while since I had someone to fly with."  
"Doesn't Rhodey fly with you?" Thor was perplexed.  
"Rhodey doesn't take the Iron Patriot out to play, the suit is a tool of his job. I love the man to bits but damn, that stick up his ass is royally stuck. It's probably for the best," he shook his head. "I _refuse_ to be seen flying with America's wet dream. Have you _seen_ that ghastly paint job?"

"I would think Steve is America's wet dream," Thor pointed out, sounding thoroughly entertained.  
"We should put him in the Iron Patriot, see if he will explode with patriotism."

They dropped speed and altitude and soon, Thor could make the restless city out clearly.  
Buildings, colorful lights, excited people pointing out the two Iron Man suits flying over them.

"I love this realm," the god's voice was colored with excitement.  
"This is just New York, buddy. There are so many more places I could take you."  
"You are _going_ to," the larger man announced, sounding pleased with himself. 

Not a request, a demand and a promise that filled Tony's heart with warmth.

~

Lifting Mark 33's faceplate, Thor inspected the vibranium blades. There was an enchanting, dangerous gleam in his eyes.

There was something special in the way Thor handled weapons, the genius had noticed. The way he looked at them, the way he used them.  
There was a certain respect in those eyes and the joy of a man that was meeting a new comrade, come to face battle with him.

Something wild and deadly, beautiful all the same was born in his eyes and Tony wasn't sure which part of him was noticing it.  
Was it Iron Man, happy to have a powerful, weapon-savvy ally on board?  
Was it the merchant of death, not nearly as deeply buried in his psyche as Tony would have hoped, poking his head out to enjoy that his hard work was appreciated?

Was it perhaps just Tony, strangely enamored with the raw battle lust emanating from the god's eyes?

Thor twisted his body around and stabbed at an invisible enemy. He then jumped and sliced through thin air, landing back on his feet effortlessly.

"I'm going to assume you like them," Tony nodded, violently dragged out of his thoughts, forcing a smile on his face. 

"Everything about this is incredible," the god beamed at the smaller man. "The best metals and enchantments were used on my armors. Somehow, _this one_ beats it all," his eyes were glowing.

"Your own armor is going to fit you even better, just you wait," Tony promised.

They stepped out of the suits and watched them disappear back inside the tower, led by JARVIS.

The sky was wearing its first few blue shades. A vengeful breeze came to mess with Thor's hair. 

He reached for Tony's hand, interlacing their fingers. The smaller Avenger closed the small distance that was left between them.

So many thoughts, so many words to share with this man that had managed to find his way into the god's heart and not a single one seemed good enough.

Tony's arms were once again wrapped around Thor's neck. The larger man's own found their way around his waist and they were soon repeating their mid-flight dance, only this time they could feel each other's warmth.

Standing on his tiptoes, Tony pressed his forehead on the god's, closing his eyes.  
"Kiss me," a soft request, coming from the depths of a desperate heart.

Their kiss started out gentle, quickly growing deep, hungry. Tony pushed his fingers in blond hair, tagging at the roots, making Thor moan against his lips.  
A soft, startled sound escaped the smaller man as he was hoisted off the floor, into the god's arms.

There was static in the air and a taste of thunder in their mouths.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Have you ever been kissed by a thunderstorm?_   
>  _Probably not._   
>  _It's like this._   
>  _Have you ever been outside in the rain?_   
>  _Have you ever climbed up the highest place you could and felt the wind blow against your face?_   
>  _Have you ever turned your face to the skies to laugh at the pouring rain?_   
>  _Have you ever gone chasing a storm?_   
>  _Have you ever stood on your front porch during a hurricane?_   
>  _Have you ever gripped the handrails of a speeding ship at night?_   
>  _Have you ever flown, faceplate-up, inside a rainstorm?_   
>  _Have you ever closed your eyes against the biting wind?_   
>  _Have you ever tasted lighting on your lips?_   
>  _Have you ever felt your heart jump and skip?_   
>  _Have you ever longed so much it hurt?_   
>  _When you give Gods a face you turn them human._   
>  _Approachable._   
>  _Vulnerable._   
>  _You can touch them._   
>  _You can feel their hand on the back of your neck._   
>  _You can kiss them._   
>  _You can be kissed by them._   
>  _Have you ever been kissed by a thunderstorm?_   
>  _I have._
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> \--- A poem my magnificent girlfriend, [LadyRiddle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyRiddle) wrote, inspired by their kiss. Girl, I love you to bits.


	12. Love and monsters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor and Tony spend some well-deserved alone time together, while Frigga invites the Hulk to join their upcoming mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Haven't I already read this chapter", I hear you asking.  
> Well yes, you have. Kind of.
> 
> So I wasn't satisfied with a few different things and while I generally don't like editing after a chapter has already been posted, I just couldn't keep something I wasn't fully happy with up. I promise, I am not going to make a habit out of it. This will be the first and last chapter _changed_ after it has already been posted.
> 
> So, for everyone who has already read this chapter, I apologize. The sort of it is, after the sex scene, there are several changes, I don't want to bore you with the details.  
> Anyone who is interested in what _exactly_ I changed and why, you can find it all in the end note. 
> 
> For everyone new, I warn you, there is technically a sex scene in this chapter, but there's nothing NSFW and no fun parts mentioned.

The god's heart was thumping restlessly, louder than the storm brewing in the distance.

He traced the skin around Tony's arc reactor with gentle fingers, that were soon captured by his breathless partner and placed over the source of energy, the inventor's own lifeline. Clear light shone through his fingers and Thor felt almost like he had placed his hand in the fire.

Liberating his fingers from the smaller man's grasp, he pulled him closer, capturing him in a gentle kiss, letting his hands travel down his naked back.

Tony cupped the god's face, stealing the lead, turning their kiss deep and desperate.  
"Fuck, I need you so bad."

Thor lifted his partner in his arms and his heart's light disappeared between their bodies.  
Tony was soon tossed on a bed and left to wrestle the rest of his clothes off, impatiently pulling at his lover's shirt when he felt he wasn't quick enough on his own.

"Easy, darling," Thor pressed his forehead on Tony's, smiling as he paused to tie his hair back.  
Tony's response was an indignant groan.

Eager hands, trails of kisses and bitemarks on burning skin, a golden ponytail trapped in a strong grip.

Raspy moans, eyes full of want, sore lips wearing playful smiles. 

Thor discovered how to make Tony beg.

~

Anticipation, or perhaps the natural tension of sleeping with someone you actually cared about for the first time.  
Whatever it was, Tony's capacity to breathe was severely compromised.

Then, maybe it was the raw understanding of what guiding Thor's hand to his arc reactor meant, placing his life in the god's hands with no failsafes or clever plans to save himself should his partner decide to betray him.

Yet, he didn't catch a single hint of malice in those brilliant blue eyes, not a single deadly intention. Instead, they seemed awestruck, enchanted by Tony's core.

Oh, he was going to fall so very hard.

He followed in the steps of the dance Thor had set up, unashamedly letting his need for the god's lips, touch, _body_ take over him.

He discovered hearing him beg like the needy mess he was, drove Thor wild.

~

"How didn't we do this sooner?" Thor demanded in his lover's ear and pulled him on his lap.

Tony's hands slipped between their bodies, taking over the reins, further reducing his partner to a moaning, panting mess that ached for his touch.  
"You're gorgeous," the inventor gasped against his parted lips.

Thor gifted him a grin entirely made of painful desire, before trapping him in a rough kiss.  
Grabbing Tony by the hips, he effortlessly made their grind harder, quickly pushing his lover over the edge.

~

"Did I burn them?" Thor grimaced, noticing his lover was studying the plate of waffles he had just brought him.

"They look amazing," Tony pointed at the treat with his fork. "I'm just letting it sink in that my _smoking hot, resident Norse god_ just served me waffles." 

"Your smoking hot resident Norse god would like to think he did many more memorable things these past few hours," Thor widened his eyes, suddenly becoming wildly interested in his fingernails.

"You know what you did to me, hot stuff," the inventor's voice was low. Setting the plate down on the table in front of them, he crawled closer, coming to claim the best spot on the couch- the one between Thor's legs, where he could rest his back against the god's chest and receive all the attention he thought he deserved.

Throwing his head back, he buried his fingers in long hair, kissing that smug, self-satisfied grin off the god's face. 

It had been hours since the sun had come to assault their heavy eyes and force them to face the harsh reality that the dreaded morning-after was there, and they had to disentangle and return to the world.  
There were preparations and plans underway, improvements to be made to suits older and newer, dusty dossiers to be reviewed...  
The list went on.

But then, that light of that obtrusive sun had come to shine over hands and lips still excited to learn another body's secrets, eyes bright and curious, a pair that had ended up in each other's arms thanks to a series of bizarre, traumatic events.

It made clear sense to them the world and all its woes would simply have to wait for its turn.  


They had spent the day in various stages of undress and consciousness, laughing, fucking, passing out on each other in the most awkward positions possible, finding new reasons to laugh when they woke up stiff, hurting in places they never expected _could_ hurt. 

If any of the currect Avengers mansion residents had tried to look for them, they had simply failed to find them.  
Their sole company was DUM-E, approaching every so often just to fuss over the dirty plates on their table, the number of which was increasing rapidly.

The distinct sound of wheels came to interrupt their kiss and Tony snatched his untouched plate off the table, holding it preciously on his chest, staring at his robot with narrowed eyes as he cut through a waffle with his fork.

"Damn, these are good."

Thor rested his chin on the top of his lover's head, smiling. "Do I get any?"

"Nope."

~

4.02 am according to JARVIS and neither of them was even remotely tired.

"We _did_ sleep most of the day, hot stuff," Tony shook his head. "Fuck me, I needed that." "The sleep?" Thor raised an eyebrow. "Sure, that too," he smirked, pulling him in by the colar of his shirt to peck his lips.

"We _could_ go flying," Thor suggested, smiling triumphantly as he received a wide-eyed look, entirely made of joy.  
"Just _take_ my heart, already," Tony commanded, jumping off the couch, gently pulling Thor with him.

They didn't turn to look back as the distinct sound of wheels let them know the last dirty plate had been claimed.

~

The place was familiar. The silence surrounding him, wasn't.  
Banner had let him out, yes, but why?  
There was no danger. There was no enemy he could see. No anger or fear, no weakened resolves had pulled him out.  
Why was he out?

The setting sun was painting Frigga's golden hair. She waited silently for the Hulk to spot her, surrounded in a semi-transparent shield. Heimdall was waiting just behind the glass door that led back inside the tower, forever adamant to be close and ready to protect her, even when she would insist she didn't _need_ protection. 

The rooftop of Stark tower was the place the former queen had agreed with a very nervous Bruce Banner would be best place to meet with the green berserker that lived in his mind.  
A baffling, unwise agreement, as the physicist had insisted.

 

The Hulk's eyes focused on her, finding that yes, she was _familiar_ somehow.  
_Friend_ , a faint whisper dressed in Banner's voice ran through his mind.

He took a heavy step close to her. She didn't move, she didn't run, there was no new magic or weapons in her hands.  
Another step. She stood still, smiling.

_Can you hear me?_

His eyes grew bigger and he took a step back, growling at her. Her lips weren't moving, but her voice was ringing in his mind.

 _My name is Frigga, I suspect you know that. My son speaks very highly of you._  
His eyes darted, back and forth. "Blondie..."  
She smiled. _That's right._

It was her turn to begin closing the distance. A fleeting thought went through her mind, reminding her she had expected this was going to be a lot harder.  
Still, it wasn't quite over. 

_I mean you no harm. You know that, right?_  
He narrowed his eyes, studying her stance, her expression. He leaned closer.

_My husband is trapped in a terrible place._

_Tony and Blondie will go rescue him. Hulk heard._

She stopped in her tracks, startled. She remained silent for a few moments, shaking her head.  
_Of course you did. You hear everything the doctor does, don't you?_

She chose the spot she considered best to stop, close enough to the Hulk, but still giving him some distance. 

_You want Hulk to help. Fight._

She closed her eyes and nodded. 

_It's a dangerous, scary place. A world with no sound._

It took him two steps to close the remaining distance. He got close to examine the shield surrounding her. The magic faltered and disappeared, leaving her exposed to the massive creature before her. The soft growl that escaped him was not meant as a threat.

He knelt in front of her, careful and stiff, ready to jump to a fighting stance if she tried anything.  
He had seen magic before, when that puny god had come bringing an army. Green, malevolent, volatile.  
Hers, was different. _Warm_ , was the only word that came to mind.

He could smell the fear surrounding her, but her eyes betrayed something different.  
He almost heard Banner, buried somewhere in the back of his mind, calling it 'respect'.

The hand she reached out was steady. In his palm, it looked tiny.

 _You are a creature made of such_ raw strength _. The power running through your veins in unmatched, I-_ she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, trying to recollect the runaway thoughts stomping through her exhausted mind.

_Hulk help friends fight._

Her eyes fluttered open, coming to find a gentleness she hadn't expected in the berserker's own. Here she was, planning her words carefully, trying to reach this strange creature born from the misuse of power, fueled by instinct, explain to him why it was so important he accompanied Tony Stark and her son in a dangerous, deadly mission...  
Yet to him, it all really was just "helping his friends."

 _Yes,_ she shook her head, finding herself humbled and relieved, keeping her hand in that massive, careful palm, _Please. They need all the help they can get. The Silent Ones are crafty, dangerous, **gigantic**_ , she continued, keeping her eyes fixed in the Hulks.

 _Tell more,_ a growl and a smile slipped on his lips, as the promise of battle was growing more and more exciting.

She knew that smile, forever worn by warriors and heroes seeking the blaze of glory.

~

"Nervous?" Tony came to stand beside Thor. 

The tower was going on lockdown. For the foreseeable future, JARVIS was to handle any friendly or unfriendly guests, problems that should arise and most importantly, Pepper and Happy, neither of whom were aware Tony was leaving the planet.  
Just another regular day, as the sassy AI had pointed out, if one were to ignore the fact that its master would be travelling to another world.

The pair had returned an hour after the sun rose, full of that energy and excitement fitting people that could fly among the clouds.  
They informed their confused audience that came to greet them on the roof, right then and there was a good time as any to leave for the Isle.

"Excited, mostly," the response came out of Bruce, who was bouncing on the balls of his feet impatiently. "Intergalactic travel, _can you imagine_?! Well, maybe a little nervous, there is always a chance everything will go horribly-"

He turned his eyes on his friends, finding twin smiles on their faces.  
Sure enough, he was shaking his head vigorously. "The question was for the man whose father is stuck on danger mist island."

Thor snorted a laugh out, pressing his hand on the physicist's shoulder. "Your excitement is contagious. With you there, we can't lose."  
Wearing a smile, he turned his gaze back to Tony, squeezing Bruce's arm gently. "This means more than I can tell you two. You're putting your lives in peril for the sake of me and my own."

" _You_ are _our_ own," Tony said. "It's what we do for our own."  
"Travelling in alternate dimensions to fight giant trolls. It's what friends are for," Bruce clarified with a smile. 

Chuckling, Thor pulled both men in for a hug.

~

"Ready?" Frigga asked.  
"As we'll ever be," Thor shook his head.

Standing in a circle, they revised their plans, adding a few details and pointers. Tony wasn't thrilled about the use of _telepathy_ as their only form of communication.  
Something about the concept of _voices in his head_ simply didn't sit well with him.

There was silence as Heimdall produced the broadsword he had been carrying on his back.  
"The reason for that?" Bruce widened his eyes, moving them from the sword to the Watcher and back.  
Frigga smiled gently. "Heimdall will transport us from here to the Isle, by cutting a hole through space-time."

The three gods were rewarded with a pair of pained, frustrated glares.  
"A simple question," Tony connected his fingers, staring straight into Heimdall's golden eyes. "Do you happen to have any idea _how many_ laws of the universe you're destroying just by _saying that_?"  
"We do," Thor informed the scientists. "We just don't care."

Tony's faceplate was quickly shut, depriving the thunder god of his lover's priceless expression.  
Bruce leaned forward, meeting Thor's eyes. "Just for the record, we don't like you much right now."  
"Wouldn't have said it better myself, thank you, Bruce," Tony nodded.

Blinding, golden light emanated from the sword as it tore through the fabric of their reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's start with the changes I made:
> 
> \-- First and foremost, **the title**.  
> \-- **The heart to heart described between Tony and Thor was much too early**. I needed their first chapter _together_ to be perfect, but a relationship and the people in it need the time to grow, change, bond. Not everything has to happen within a night and used to writing one-shots, I essentially forgot I didn't need to cram everything into the one chapter.  
> \-- **The scene where Frigga and Bruce discuss the Hulk's involvement in the mission was removed and the scene where she _actually_ meets him has been, if you will, _enhanced_.**  
> \-- **Instead of Thor and Tony keeping the last moment before they leave earth to themselves, all three Avengers now share a moment.**  
>  The ending piece, when they do _actually_ leave for the Isle of Silence has also been changed, but not by much. Thor is a little bitch, the scientists on the rooftop are exasperated over the laws of physics being tossed out the window.
> 
> While I didn't find the original source of the idea, the concept of 'sword that can cut a portal out of thin air' is not my own. It was first introduced to me by the now shut down facebook game "Marvel: Avengers Alliance", where Sif's sword had the ability to do just that. It's a fun little headcanon that stuck with me.
> 
> Once again, so sorry about this and most importantly, just like I already said in the previous incarnation of this chapter, _thank you_.  
> Thank you for the kudos and the lovely comments that make me feel this is all worth it, for coming along for the ride and sticking around. More coming up ~


	13. Break the Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jumping back and forth between bloody battle in a dimension no sound can reach and that one playful moment shared among an exhiled god returning to that place he can no longer call home and the people observing and experiencing it with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Predictable title is predictable.

_Sharp bark tore through his hands as he desperately grasped onto the trees surrounding him, pulling himself up and forward.  
Tangle weeds cut through his path, climbed up his ankles and squeezed, hoping they would steal the former King's last bit of strength._

_Odin couldn't allow them to claim him. Not now, not before he got close to that _light_._

_He surrounded himself in faded golden magic, drying the weeds out before they had the chance to tie and strangle him.  
Pressing his aching palms on the lifeless trees, cutting deeper into the wounds, he rushed through the forest, as fast as his legs could carry him, struggling to get close to that beam of pure white._

\--

Shining sun, clear waters splashing against green shores. Springtime had made Asgard painfully beautiful.

"Watch your step, be silent," Heimdall warned, sheathing his sword, observing as Thor stepped around him with a bright smile, slipped out of his suit and while otherwise still fully-clothed, jumped in the water.  
The party watched in quiet bafflement as the thunder god traveled further away from them, chuckling as calm waves struck his body and rushed through his open fingers, searching for their familiar destination.

The Watcher soon found himself staring at an empty golden and crimson husk as Tony mimicked his fellow Avenger, leaving his armor behind and slowly joining him in the water.

"We are no longer welcome here," Heimdall reminded anyone who was willing to listen. 

"What are we doing?" Tony asked gently as a delighted thunder god rushed close to pull him deeper.  
"If you don't know what we're doing, why did you join me?" the larger blond asked, intertwining their fingers, brushing his thumbs against Tony's palms.  
"I'm always down to party," the inventor shrugged, glancing down to see his knees disappear underwater. 

Frigga took a few careful steps closer, letting the tips of her shoes disappear in wet sand, quietly observing her son shut the world and all its dangers out, just so he could play in the water with his companion for a few minutes. 

Golden eyes darted between the soaked pair and the former queen. "We are in grim danger, simply standing-"  
"We're fine," Frigga interrupted him, releasing pale magic from her hands, covering the entire party and concealing them from unwary eyes. "A few lost minutes won't make or break this mission."

Tony let his god lead him deeper yet, mumbling something about wet underwear as the water reached up to his waist. Slipping his fingers off his lover's grip, Thor quickly tucked an arm under Tony's knees and lifted him up, chuckling as the man yelped and clang onto his shoulders for dear life.

"Are you coming in, Bruce?" the inventor threw his head back and called out to the confused, landbound physicist who was staring with his mouth hanging open and his hands on his hips.  
"Is he going to do _that_ to me, too?" the man responded, feeling a silly smile creep up to his lips as Thor clumsily twirled around, tossing the smaller man gently in the air. 

"Get in here and find out, you coward!" the god challenged him, tossing his prize again, smirking as he heard Tony quietly point out he was going to drop him at this rate and _if you dare_ -

"I think I like this better," Bruce decided, widening his eyes as Tony was dumped in the frozen water.  
Wreaking a quick vengeance, the smaller man grabbed hold of the chuckling god's waistband, causing him to lose his balance and fall to his knees.

\--

_Unable to keep going, Odin knelt on the cold, muddy ground, struggling to catch his breath and ignore the burn of his aching muscles.  
No matter - he had made it. _

_The bright beam tore through the fog and the trees concealing a pair of Troll Shamans, urging a hulking green figure to attack them.  
The beast let out a ferocious roar that made no sound, sparing none of the enemies that had seen fit to attack it. _

_Two more creatures emerged through the gray, dressed in colors befitting kings.  
One dressed in golden and red took flight. Their companion, wearing deep crimson and silver metal, presented a pair of blades and rushed towards an orange warrior that carried a spear._

_Glancing up, the old god followed the Golden One through the sky with his eye, observing as they released that light that had drawn him to the sight of the battle.  
The mist still clouded his vision, his mind could just as well be playing tricks on him but he could swear the ray had been born out of the strange creature's very heart._

\--

Wrapping his legs around the god's waist, Tony pressed down on his shoulders, commanding him to stay down. In typical insolent fashion, Thor effortlessly stood up and grasped the enemy's thighs.  
"Where will you go _now_?"  
"You think that _you_ have captured _me_?!" Tony exclaimed. "Oh, how wrong you are!"

"Why don't you show me then?" Thor glanced over his shoulder, pressing his nose against his lover's arm as he wrapped it around his neck.  
"I couldn't. It would destroy your ego, _shutter_ your confidence," Tony explained, interlocking his fingers over the god's chest. 

"Please, kind sir," the blond begged, "Don't shutter my confidence."  
"Well, I may just have to," Tony replied, pulling his arms back and pressing his palms on his partner's shoulders again. "Of course you could _obey_ -" he growled.  
"While you're back there, can you check? I think there is a fly on my shoulder."

\--

_Twisting its lips in a grimace, a small troll jumped off a tree and onto the Crimson One's shoulders, trying to claw through the warrior's helmet.  
They managed to pull the thrashing creature off and bring it down on its back, unaware that one of its brothers was approaching from behind, brandishing a war axe._

_Odin raised a hand and tried to call out to the armored warrior, to no avail._

_The now familiar ray rained down once again, this time aimed at the troll that had dared to assume they could hurt the Golden One's companion.  
Its war axe ended up on the ground, inches away from its twitching fingers, an offering to the warrior in red and silver._

\--

Wearing his best apologetic smile, Bruce stood beside Frigga and Heimdall, examining her wistful expression and his concerned one.

"I forget how young he is," Frigga croaked, quickly clearing her throat and forcing a smile.  
"All due respect," Heimdall raised an eyebrow, "He has all the time he needs to be young. _This_ is a very different time."  
"I'd say this is the best and only time," Bruce raised an eyebrow, watching as Thor disappeared underwater, letting a very cautious Tony try and figure out which way the next assault would come from. 

Two pairs of eyes turned on him and he tilted his head, stifling a laugh as Tony evaded Thor's secret attack, only to land face-first into the water.

"Thor is dealing with too much, all at once," he went on to explain. "He doesn't _talk_ about it, but with everything that's been going on - I mean, his life turned to shit within a matter of months, no offense," he glanced at the former queen, who nodded, smiling bitterly.  
"So," Bruce shrugged, "He's here, on his home planet, that he was _exhiled_ from, about to go on an Isle designed to be especially lethal for his kind, to find his Father who doesn't want to face him. And all that," he moved his finger in a circular motion, "Is just for _today_."

Frigga bit her bottom lip. "Like I said, so young, so full of life."  
She tried to swallow the knot in her throat. _So full of pain_ , her mind reminded her.

"So if he wants to play in the water for a bit," - or carry Tony, who seemed to think he had won whatever game it was they were playing, on his shoulders - "I'd say we let him," Bruce shrugged, glancing at the Watcher, who nodded softly, observing the pair silently.

\--

_With the grace of a seasoned warrior, the Crimson One jumped and danced around with their blades, meeting the trolls' weapons in mid-air, slicing through their enemies until their armor's silver highlights began to turn crimson as well. Excitement and battlelust radiated from the creature's every move- if sound reached the dimension, Odin knew their war cry would tear through the forest, shake the Isle._

_Observing their bladework, the former King thought there was something strangely **familiar** about it._

_Sheathing the bloody blades, the warrior took flight, meeting their golden-dressed companion mid-air._

\--

The playful couple approached the shore, seemingly ready to leave the water. Tony glanced at his soggy thunder god over his shoulder, who received the look as an invitation for a hug from behind.  
He held the smaller man, sensing him stiffen.  
Wrapping his fingers around Thor's wrist that rested over his heart, Tony quietly reminded him there were people _watching_.  
"One of those people is your _mother_."

Following his line of sight, Thor found Frigga's serene face.  
"Hello, mother!" he called out excitedly. The sound of her chuckle was drowned out by the waves striking them.  
"Thank you for pointing that out," he turned to Tony with big eyes. "I had _completely_ forgotten who that lady was."

The inventor glanced at the people on the banks of the Sea of Mist, running his tongue over his teeth as conflicting thoughts rushed through his mind.

"If _you_ don't care who's watching-" he pried Thor's arms off him gently in the end, turning to face his god and gaze into eyes so blue the ocean itself should envy them,  
"-Neither do I," he locked his hands on the back of the blond's neck, closing his eyes and standing on the tips of his toes, meeting his lover halfway as he leaned to touch their foreheads together.

\--

_Twin rays burst out of the now earthbound armor-clad companions' palms as they stood back to back, tearing through the gray condensation the volcano was spitting out and any more trolls that had emerged from the depths of the forest. The green berserker stood beside them, letting out a roar that was as fearsome as it was silent, crashing a pair of Shamans' staves in his hands._

_There was a dent in the Golden armor, on a spot that was struck by a warhammer. The warrior had stayed on the ground for a few moments, concealed and protected by their friendly beast that had rushed to their aid._

_That same beast that had only minor wounds from the trolls, but had nearly been felled by the tangle weeds that wrapped themselves around his feet and brought him down. Odin had watched it wince and struggle, squirm as the Crimson One jumped on it and cut through every single deadly vine and then pulled it back to its feet._

_They made for odd bedfellows, but they were still one another's lifeline._

\--

Elegant fingers were pressed on Bruce's arm and the physicist turned to smile to the former queen.

"I knew Thor was smitten from the very first moment I watched them interact," she said.  
"I thought we were politely ignoring what was clearly happening before us," he smiled. "At least, until they did _that_ ," he added, watching them embrace.  
"They disappeared together for the entire day yesterday," Heimdall pointed out, raising an eyebrow, a ghost of a smirk appearing on his face. "I don't need dark magic to see through that."

A snort escaped Frigga and she turned her eyes back to Bruce. "Tell me. Do you think he's good for my son? I know Anthony is-"  
"Tony," the physicist smiled, "Calling him Anthony is going to bother him immensely."

He quickly went on to reconsider that statement. "Which tells me that clearly, _Anthony_ is what I will be calling him from now on." 

He then observed the couple quietly. "They _get_ each other, in a way I never expected them to. They bonded when nobody was looking," he said.  
"Tell me of Anthony," she kept her eyes on his face. "How well does he treat the people near him?"

Pursing his lips, Bruce let out a sharp exhale. "He's _clumsy_ with his people, but when he decides you're his, he will do anything for you. Keep you, _protect_ you. You wouldn't guess it until you got to know him, but the man's got a heart big enough to fit a world. I've been told he wasn't always that way," he admitted.

"Life changes people," Frigga shook her head. "Norns know how much I've seen my boy change through the years."  
"I don't know how the future will play out for them, or the rest of us for that matter," the man shrugged. "But, right now, they've got somebody to play in the water with."

She agonized over that future, presuming there even was one in store for them. Seeing that smile on her son's face however, watching him steal away that moment of happiness, she felt her heart was just a little bit lighter.  
Perhaps she had Anthony Stark to thank for that.

Her eyes drifted away from the men that seemed to finally be searching for dry land, onto the empty suit of armor her son would soon be wearing again.

"There is one more thing I have to ask of you, Bruce." 

\--  
_Deceptive as always, the silence enveloped the warriors. There seemed to be no more rock trolls in sight, at least none that seemed willing to try to hurt them._

_A pebble bounced off the ground, landing on Odin's hand. Pushing his palms in the mud, he felt the ground's quiet vibrations._

_The Crimson warrior was patting their companions on the back, when the Golden One raised a hand and took a few steps away from the rest of the party.  
They glanced at the ground, just in time to see their ugly, clawed hand rising out of wet soil._

_They ripped the ground open, climbing on the Isle's surface, shaking the mud off their bodies.  
The Silent Ones stood as tall as the Isle's perpetually dead trees, showing off sharp claws and teeth._

_One rushed to the green beast immediately, ramming its head into the creature's chest. The second one struck the Golden warrior, tossing him through the air._

_Odin grabbed onto a fallen tree and pushed himself to his feet, watching lethal hands and massive heads emerge from the Isle's depths._

_Doing a mid-air somersault, the Golden One flew back, aiming their beams at two of its Silent enemies, receiving silent howls of pain in return.  
The Crimson One took to the air, but the orange creature closest slammed into them, trapping them in between its body and the ground, in a deadly embrace. _

_Its efforts left it blind and bleeding all over its bounty, as the warrior sliced at its eyes, tearing through its eye sockets. Another troll rushed to help its wounded brother, but was struck down by the Golden one's chest beam._

_The green beast was trapped between two Silent Ones, roaring and punching, eventually grabbing them and crushing their heads together._

_Hues of red, gold and silver mixed in the sky as the metal-clad companions flew side by side, blasting their enemies with white-hot energy._

_Collecting as much magic as his body could handle, Odin immobilized the Silent One sneaking behind their friendly berserker, keeping it still long enough for the hulking figure to notice and take over._

_The Golden One was slammed against a tree, that bent under the combined force of their weight and the Silent One's strength. Their Crimson friend attacked the troll furiously, blasting and slicing through it and several of its brethren that came to its aid.  
Pulling himself off the ground, the Golden warrior launched into the sky and twirled in mid-air, showering the Silent Ones in their beams. _

_A strike armed with dirty claws scratched through the crimson bladesman's chestplate, the one that followed had the warrior tumbling on the ground.  
Before they had the chance to shoot up through the dark fog, the troll brought their foot down, putting all their force in that step, burying the unfortunate warrior in the mud. _

_Busy with their own enemies, their companions didn't notice them struggle under the Silent One's weight. They unsheathed their blades once again, struggling to pull their arms from under the creature._

_Extending his arm, Odin tried to tie a lasso made of pure magic around the troll's waist but while he managed, **pulling** it off proved impossible. _

_Time seemed to slow down, the usually thick atmosphere felt still, **electric**._

_Throwing his head back, the former king turned his eye to the sky, watching as the volcano's heavy smoke swirled and disappeared, clearing the path to a swarm of angry clouds.  
Odin had never caught a single glimpse of the sky above the Isle of Silence._

_The familiar clap and echo never reached their ears. The Golden and Green warriors looked up, their eyes drawn on the violent flashes of lightning._

_As thunder came raining down, tearing through dead trees and Silent Ones alike, Odin remembered just where he had seen that bladework before._

_With unparalleled speed, Thor shot back up into the sky, surrounded in electrical glow. His Golden friend landed, blasting at confused Silent Ones that thought they could hide back inside the forest.  
He watched his son drill through the fog surrounding the Isle, clear the air and bring down the power of thunder, **the wrath of Thor** , down on the trolls. The Ones that weren't struck by the god's thunder, were beaten down by his green beast. Those fortunate enough to be far away from the berserker, were blasted by the Golden one's beams, landing on the few trees still standing. _

_The few conscious Silent Ones burrowed back inside their holes, desperately concealing themselves in the muddy soil._

_The crimson paint on his son's suit was ruined, sparks were flying out from in between the plates.  
He was quickly losing altitude, but his imminent freefall was interrupted by the faster Golden hero, who flew to the sky and collected Thor in his arms, carrying him to the ground bridal style._

_The bleeding green creature stepped forward, ripping pieces of the fried suit off the god of thunder._

_Useless circuitry and pieces of burnt metal covered the ground. The brilliant source of energy that nested in the once crimson chestplate was still glowing, making a perfect contrast to the blackened gauntlets that were tossed beside it.  
Thor smiled a bloody smile and leaned his head on his friend's golden chestplate, wrapping his arm around their shoulders._

\--

Frigga was standing behind her son's borrowed suit of armor, running her fingers on a crease between its metal plates.  
"Magnificent as these colors look on him, I don't want to bury my child in this suit. Not for his Father's sake, nor Asgard's. Do you understand?"  
Her tone was sharp, betraying anger. Whether that was towards her world that was falling apart, her husband, or herself, Bruce would never guess.

Blue eyes met brown and he nodded. "Absolutely, ma'am."

\--

'I tell you, as I told your mother, I wish to stay here.'

_The former king shut his eye tightly when he felt his son's hands on his face. He held weakly onto the young god's wrists, staining his hoodie's sleeve with the mud that still clang to his fingers._

'Leave,' _he reached out to Thor's mind._ 'This place is going to drain you. Get your friends and go.'  
_The words leaving his boy's mind were frantic and jumbled, mixed with a multitude of emotions Odin had hoped he would never be privy to. He mentioned his mother, Asgard, himself. Odin pried his hands off gently._  
'You came all this way for nothing,' _he said sharply_. 

_Thor closed his eyes, trying to concentrate on the words he wanted to relay to his father. He tried to wade through his frustration, ignore that ever-growing feeling of fatigue caused by the volcano's emissions._

_Through the string of thoughts he struggled to form into a sentence, Odin could feel his son's bitterness and pain. He took a few careful steps back._

'I never meant to hurt you, son-'

_Thor stepped forward and grabbed Odin's forearm, stopping his attempt to retreat. Looking into those eyes that were identical to his mother's, the older god found the pained gaze of a man **betrayed**.  
He tried to pull his arm back. Thor's grip was stronger._

'I never asked you to come.'  
_The first coherent thought Thor managed pierced through Odin's mind like a wounded lion's roar._  
' **HOW DARE YOU?!** ' _his expression was twisted into frozen anger, all rightfully directed at the Father that had failed him._

_How dare he do **which** of the things that flooded his mind as he was forced to look at the pain he had caused in the eye, Thor never did say.  
One second, Odin was standing on the Isle's muddy ground. The very next one, a massive green arm was wrapped around him, lifting him in the air and his son's friendly berserker sitted him on his shoulder._

'Put me back down, this instant!' _Odin commanded, rushing his way through the creature's mind, finding a dual conscience and a very simple understanding of how telepathy seemed to work, as the beast responded immediately-_  
'No.'

_The golden warrior was back in the former King's line of sight, wrapping an arm around Thor's waist, bringing his own arm around their shoulders. His son shook his head and attempted to pull away, receiving a soft, impatient tap on his waist before their companion pulled him closer.  
Odin thought he saw a half smile, before his son's gaze was back on him._

'Queen wants you back. Blondie wants you back. You're coming,' _the beast informed him._  
'You can't just **carry me** out like I'm some sort of-'

_From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of his son tripping over his feet as he tried to take a step and clinging onto the arm around him. He closed his eyes and hang his head, his chest heaving as he was suddenly gasping for air._

_It took two sudden, swift moves for the golden companion to remove their helmet. The plate concealing their face was gone first, as they pressed their hand around it and pulled it off, dangling it between two fingers. The face of a middle-aged man with brown eyes and a goatee was revealed. The words his lips formed were incomprehensible to Odin, but the worry on his face was crystal clear._

_His hand disappeared behind his head and Odin watched as the rest of the helmet essentially_ melted _away, leaving behind a single crimson plate. Moments later, the helmet was_ growing _around Thor's head._

_Just before the helmet was complete and his son's face was hidden behind the man's faceplate, his blue eyes disappearing behind glowing eye slits, he got the chance to spare one last glance Odin couldn't bring himself to try and read through.  
He thought he saw pain, or perhaps disappointment. _

_He received a sharp, brown-eyed glare. The man's lips moved again and the god could only guess the beautiful flattery that must have left them.  
The beast carrying him showed its teeth._

'You're coming,' _it commanded._

_Lifting Thor in his arms, the brown-haired man was slowly gaining altitude. He could no longer see his son's face and judging by that last look he had left him with, he wasn't sure he wanted to._

'That's what it looks like,' _he informed the beast, defeated._

\--

Slipping back into his suit, Tony shuddered, overtaken by the feeling of cold, wet underwear clinging to his skin. 

"I'm going to be with you every step of the way," Frigga's voice reached his ears. He turned to see the former queen smiling, running her fingers through her son's soaked, messy hair.

Deciding he would make himself welcome in the conversation Bruce was having with Heimdall, he stood next to his friend, smiling awkwardly at the god with the golden eyes.

"Quick question. If I'm understanding this correctly, we will cross the _Sea of Mist_ and presumably figure out why it's called that the further we go," he read the Watcher's expression with widened eyes, awaiting confirmation before he would go on.

Heimdall nodded. "The sky will get progressively darker, the air thicker and before you know, you will cross the borders of Silence and realize your voices are gone."  
"Alright, Hamlet, dial the _doom_ down," Tony raised an eyebrow.  
"Just a thought for you, my good friend. Maybe not antagonize the literal god that's supposed to pull us out of death island? " Bruce pointed out, gifting the brown-haired man beside him a warm smile.

"I am physically incapable of that," Tony responded before turning his gaze back on Heimdall. "So while we _get closer to death's embrace_ ," his words were colored with dramatic flair, "You two will stay here, she will guide us and _you_ are tasked with pulling us out once it's all over."

"You catch on quickly," what could vaguely be seen as a smirk graced Heimdall's features.  
"So how do you suppose you will do that?"

Taking a step forward, the Watcher presented him with that Tony initially thought were his empty hands. Concentrating on the god's outstretched fingers, he noticed them, faintly golden strings of magic, wrapped multiple times around his digits and palms, tight enough to rip into the skin, or perhaps sharp enough to have _emerged_ from somewhere under the Watcher's epidermis.  
He followed the strings from the god's hands to _himself_ , finding them weaved around his suit, lost in the spaces between his plates. 

Lucky guess told him, if he concentrated his suit's eyes in the air among his fellow Avengers and Heimdall, he would find the same golden lines reaching out to them.

"Magical pixie-dust rope? I couldn't have thought of something better," Tony shrugged, staring at the god pointedly. 

The golden eyes gleamed as he recognized the challenge behind the inventor's words and with a simple move he _pulled_ , sending him flying back into the sea.  
Turning his thrusters on, Tony launched into the sky, gaining as much altitude as he could manage, before Heimdall effortlessly dragged him back down. 

The Iron Man let himself dive towards the water, only to shoot back up once he was inches away from the surface, grabbing onto as many of the golden strings that were attached to his body as his hands could hold.  
Snapping them off proved impossible within a matter of seconds, so plan B entailed trying to pluck the self-satisfied prick _off _the ground and into the air with him.  
The sky was _his_ territory, after all.__

__Every time Tony would retell that story from that point on, he would always say he had clearly seen Heimdall lose his footing and even the ground beneath his feet for a few spare moments, at least until a very irritated Frigga came to put an end to their competition._ _

__"Enough games for one day, we still have a mission to complete," she glared at god and human alike, once the latter was back on the ground.  
"Heimdall can channel incredible amounts of dark magic," she turned to explain to Tony, "He is unique and remarkable at what he does. You needn't question him, son."_ _

__The words _'dark magic'_ rang through the inventor's mind, but the finger he lifted to help drive his point across was caught in a hand dressed crimson and silver, just as his eyes were caught in the beauty of the smile the god with the flaxen hair was giving him. Thor's free hand was gently pressed under his chin, shutting his mouth that had been left hanging open._ _

__"Trust in Heimdall. His power and loyalty are unmatched. You two can antagonize each other later," turning on his heels and finding his place beside his fighting companions, he winked at the Watcher and wrapped each arm around another Avenger.  
"I will be guiding Thor," Frigga said, holding her hands behind her back. "Thor will guide you two. If _anything_ happens that you think you can't handle, Heimdall will pull you out."_ _

__"There's nothing we can't handle," Thor informed his mother with a smile radiating fake confidence. "If we planned on fleeing at the first sign of trouble, we wouldn't have come all this way," he continued, glancing at each of his companions to ensure his words mirrored their own feelings on the matter._ _

__Neither he nor Tony noticed Bruce giving Frigga that quick, reassuring look seconds before her son took off, disappearing into the sky and kickstarting their journey across the Sea of Mist._ _

__The grey-haired physicist turned to Tony. "How exactly am _I_ going to-"  
His mouth was quickly pressed into an awkward smile as his friend stepped forward and folded him in his arms. _ _

"Should have known," Bruce muttered, clearing his throat.  
"You should have," Tony responded, his expression of pure amusement hidden behind his helmet.  
"I would like to point out now, I hate this," the older man offered, wrapping his arms tightly around his friend's waist. 

~ ~ ~

Leaving the Isle behind, they could feel Heimdall's magical twine binding them, growing tighter around their joints and sharper against their bruised skin the further away they got from that piece of land drowning in silence and murky waters. 

Thor was still in the airborne Tony's arms, keeping his head pressed against his lover's chest, his beaming, triumphant smile concealed behind Mark 42's golden faceplate. 

The Hulk had jumped in the water before any of his partners had the chance to suggest a different mode of transportation.  
Swimming tirelessly just below them, through the dark waters, he found himself heavily amused by the now drenched elder god on his back that tightened his grip around the berserker's neck just a little bit more with every stroke. 

But then, they found that invisible barrier and felt Heimdall's hold on them grow exponentially stronger as the Watcher wrestled with the foreign dimension's invisible borders from a world away. 

Losing altitude, Tony came to hover beside the Hulk. Fishing through the water, the thunder god in his arms found the berserker's hand. 

Holding onto one another with injured and tired hands, they pushed through the pain and pressure, lost their breath somewhere between two dimensions, if only to make sure Heimdall would manage to pull them out.  
If only to make sure nobody would be left behind. 

~

With tears streaming down her face, Frigga welcomed them, jumping around like the happiest little girl.  
She closed her husband and son in her arms, shielding them from the world that had been so cruel to them.

"Good work," Tony offered at Heimdall awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck.  
The visibly tired Watcher produced his sword once again, smiling the first clear, genuine smile Tony had seen on his face.  
"Not so bad yourself," he responded. 

The inventor shook his head, watching as the broadsword was enveloped in familiar glow. 

"No time to lose," the Watcher soon called out to the once royal family, bringing them back into reality. Thor pulled away gently. Odin stayed in his wife's arms, holding weakly onto her waist, his mind whispering words of love into her own. 

__

__

The fabric of spacetime was once again viciously torn, Tony's and Bruce's understanding of how the world was meant to work was wounded just a little bit more. Frigga led her husband quickly through the portal, deciding the celebration would have to wait until they were on friendly grounds. 

Studying the Hulk's expression, Tony found there was something _tricksy_ hiding in the berserker's eyes.  
" _Don't-_ -"  
Along with his body, the rest of his words were crushed in those massive arms, trapped between Thor who had been swept in the hug and the Hulk's chest.  
"Okay, buddy... - Heimdall... - _Portal_... - We can do this later!" Tony struggled against the friendly vice, kicking his feet in the air, feeling alarmed by that subtle _crunching_ sound that reached his ears, just moments before Thor erupted in laughter. 

It could be a part of his suit, or somebody's _bone_ , either way, he would have fun figuring that one out later. 

Deciding his fellow Avengers were better set on the ground, the Hulk let them go and rushed through the portal, following the former King and Queen of Asgard into unknown lands. 

__

__

"Wait-" Tony wrapped an arm around Thor's waist, stopping the god in his tracks. "Are you feeling okay? Can you keep going?" he gestured towards Heimdall's glimmering portal, catching through it a glimpse of the next world they were about to visit. 

"Better than I've felt in a long time," the god removed the inventor's helmet to properly beam at him, offering it back. "Did you see?" he asked, breathlessly. "How-" 

"How you called that thunder down?" Tony smiled, stepping forward to gently wrap his other arm around Thor, ignoring the metal parts the god was handing him, enjoying the glow of pure joy on his face. "How you _decimated_ those trolls? Or how gorgeous you looked up there, in your thunder? I saw it _all_ baby. I saw _you_ and you were the most incredible thing." 

The portal Heimdall was keeping open cast colorful lights on Tony's face, softening his features, playing with the color of his eyes. Thor cupped his face in still wounded hands, leaning in to steal a kiss from the man standing before him, the man that had _seen_ him, his heart and soul behind his thunder and power. 

"What could you possibly be concerned about, then?" he whispered, pressing his forehead on Tony's and closing his eyes. 

__

"Baby," Tony lowered his voice, matching the god's tone, "You were gasping for air back in the Isle. I'm going to go on a whim here and say jumping from one galaxy to the next won't do you any favours. If you need a moment to rest, we're staying here and your illegitimate sister can take it up with me. So can Heimdall," he glanced at the Watcher, receiving in turn a look bordering on frustration. 

Thor was silent for a few moments, seemingly lost in thought. Pulling away, Tony noticed him chewing on his lips and letting his eyes drift between them, onto the grass under their feet.  
"That was fake," he admitted, amusement dripping off his voice. 

"Come again?" Tony raised an eyebrow, studying Thor's playful expression. 

"Fake, to scare my father and guilt him into following us willingly," the god confessed, finally shovig the plates that made up Mark 42's helmet on his lover's chest and taking a few careful steps back, peering into narrowed brown eyes, watching as concern turned into something decidedly more lethal. "You seem to forget, I grew up with Loki." 

"You _both_ seem to forget I won't be able to hold this portal forever," Heimdall's voice reached through the one's amusement and the other's irritation.  
Sticking out a thumb, Thor gestured towards the portal and the god responsible for it, that grew weary as the moments drifted by. "We should-" 

"You are going to _run_ in that portal," Tony announced calmly. "I am going to catch you and kill you _eventually_ , but I like you enough to give you a head start." 

A quick nod, as Thor accepted his fate. Moments later, he was running away from his scorned lover and through the portal that would lead him to the forests of Vanaheim. 

He could think of no better place to be hunted for sport.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My girlfriend warned me just a few days ago that sometimes, characters in a story are going to go ahead and do things you weren't planning for them and you will be left screaming 'why did you do that'. While I did plan for Thor to get his thunder back in the upcoming chapters, I had very different and _specific_ plans as to just how that would happen but hey, seems the god of thunder had _his own_ plans.  
> What is a better time to figure out you can summon your thunder without Mjolnir, when you're being crushed under a foot?
> 
> As for the scene with Thor playing around in the water, it was inspired by that story I read once about how the usually serious Emma Watson during a very difficult, cold, rainy day where they were shooting a scene for the first Deathly Hallows movie at the beach, started randomly running around and jumping in the water, reminding the crew members she really was just a 19 year old girl holding a big part of a massive franchise on her shoulders, needing just a moment to forget all about it and play in the water. So, the suddenly playful, reckless Thor is really that man having way too much in his mind, trying to save his world that's crumbling apart, needing a moment to forget who he is and what he's doing and play around. As for Tony? Tony just _gets it_ and tags along for the ride.
> 
> I was concerned this chapter would turn out much smaller than several other of my chapters, it turned out my biggest one yet. I had a lot of fun writing this one ~
> 
> More (mis)adventures to come, but first a moment of silence to honor our very own [Mark 33](https://ironman.fandom.com/wiki/Mark_XXXIII_-_Silver_Centurion). 
> 
> Rest in peace, you beautiful ruby centurion.


	14. Drunk on life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor left his heart in New York.  
> Still, he's more than capable of opening it to the stranger buying him drinks at the bar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some lines are taken straight out of 'The Winter Soldier'.

"I'd like to propose a toast!"  
Jumping off his bar stool, Thor wrapped an arm around his new friend, squashing the woman's face on the silver-crested leather that covered his chest.  
Courtesy of the Vanir, who refused to allow him to even consider returning to Midgard without a new armor and weapon.

"To new, generous friends!" he boomed, lifting a pewter flagon over his head, spilling some of its content and staining his hand red.  
"Specifically, this wonderful lady," his eyes drifted down, to the dark-haired woman that smiled awkwardly and offered a quick wave for any patron that had managed to find her face, buried somewhere in the embrace of the son of Odin.

"Her name currently evades me and I'm too uncomfortable to ask her to repeat it at this point," Thor informed the crowd, receiving a round of laughter.  
Bottles, glasses, containers of all kinds were lifted in the air, toasting to the exhiled prince and his strange friend, that no single soul truly recognized.  
A fact they would probably start pointing out to one another sooner or later, had the lady not decided to buy a round of drinks for the entire bar.

"I never did give you my name, sugar," she reminded the inebriated former prince as soon as he landed back on his stool, pushing a new flagon towards him. "Come to think of it, you probably shouldn't be taking drinks from the strange, unknown woman," she warned him with a sly smile.

His lips curved into a smirk as he snatched the flagon with a slightly unsteady hand.  
"You wouldn't be trying to poison the son of Odin in a packed bar in the middle of the capital, lest you have a painful death wish," he informed her, staring at the depths of his new flagon as his own words rang through his mind. "Do you, have one of those?" he raised an eyebrow.

She chuckled, showing off two rows of perfect teeth, and pressed her palm on the god's wrist. "Not this week, no. I could always be trying to get you drunk and steal Asgard's most treasured secrets, though."  
Thor scoffed audibly and brought the flagon to his lips. "You chose the wrong person to steal secrets from, lady."

His eyes wandered away, finding the most interesting spot on the floor to fixate on. "I have no bloody clue what's going on in Asgard."

~ ~ ~

Hlidskjalf, the golden throne of Asgard. Hordes of people had knelt before it and an eclectic few had the honor of sitting on it.  
Ancient, secret magic was woven within its golden structure, reserved for the Kings and Queens it hosted alone. It provided its monarch insight, so that they would witness important events occuring anywhere in the Nine Realms with their own eyes.  
Much like Hela herself, it was a secret scrapped off the old books hidden in the corners of Asgard. Skurge himself would never have guessed it if not for the new Queen's tendency to overshare.

Her voice echoed through the throne room, startling him. He took a few careful steps closer, keeping his eyes on the ever-vigilant Fenris, whose ears fell back when she decided he was too close to her mistress.

"It's almost funny."

Her eyes were empty, seemingly fixed on a spot on the floor, truly lost through space and time, chasing after people in faraway places.

"I knew he wasn't going to stay in the Isle for long," she said, her knuckles turning white as she clutched onto Hlidskjalf's armrests. "I knew Frigga would figure how to get him out."

Blinking the cosmical haze away, she fixed a frozen glare on her Royal Executioner. "All the same, I'm mad."

She pulled herself up and began to pace around the throne room. 

"My Queen?" Skurge tried.

"Why did I let it _live_? Why would I choose _the son of Odin_ to be merciful with?!" she demanded, her voice turning into a hiss. 

"Being merciful is a virtue of a good-" the former Einherjar started, giving up on the rest of the sentence when that gaze, slowly turning from frozen to burning anger was back on him.  
Changing direction, she slowly, menacingly walked towards Skurge.  
"It strutted in _my realm_ , crossed the Sea of Mist with its friends and got Odin _out_ ," her voice was barely a whisper. "Being _merciful_ gets overreaching _whelps_ thinking they can walk all over you."

He remained silent, biting the inside of his cheek. She stood still, staring intently in his eyes, reading the fear and apprehension in them. 

"Who are they?" she broke the silence once again.  
"Who are-"  
"His friends. A green beast and a man in metal armor. Who are they?" throwing her weight on her toes, she twisted her body around and went back to pacing.

"The Avengers, I presume," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. The massive wolf's emerald eyes were stuck on him, following his smallest movements.  
"A band of Midgardian warriors that took on the Chitauri army." Pr- _Thor_ ," he corrected himself, glancing at the Queen to assess whether she had caught on his almost mistake, "Had stories to tell about them. There was a Spider Woman, an Archer," he counted on his fingers, "A _Hulk_ , I believe that's the beast, a Captain named after the country the invasion happened in. How pretentious is that? Could you imagine calling the captain of the guard Captain Asgard? It's ridiculous to say the least."

The Queen's eyes were on him once again, the unamused expression plastered on her face was telling him she was losing her patience.  
"The Man of Iron," he concluded. "He made quite a name for himself throughout the realms, he launched a nuclear weapon through the portal the Chitauri used, wiping out a chunk of the army and shutting the portal in the process."

"His armor isn't iron," she pointed out. "It's far more _refined_ than that."

Pacing to the corner of the room, she picked up her wine-filled chalice from a silent servant's tray.  
She swished its content around, observing as the ruby red liquid climbed the walls of the chalice.

"Perhaps he simplified it, for the sake of the masses," Skurge offered as she passed by him.  
"Weren't mortals supposed to be _weak_?" she glanced over her shoulder.  
"I suppose nobody informed the mortals, my Queen." 

She walked up to her window, gazing over the loud city.  
"Funny little man, my brother," she said. "He lives through Odin's lies and deceit, he gets banished in a foreign realm for practices the old man taught him were within his rights... He's almost killed by a sister he never knew he had. But, there he goes, rushing to save that coward as soon as he hears of his misfortune."

"Thor is extremely loyal."  
"Thor is stupid," she shook her head. "A damn fool, that needs a reminder that life is precious and he shouldn't be wasting his angering me."

Skurge shifted his weight uncomfortably, hanging his head, gazing at his reflection as it hopelessly stared back at him from the golden floor.

Suddenly remembering she hadn't sent for him herself, Hela narrowed her eyes, turning to face her Executioner. "Why are you here? What is it you wanted?"

Her voice dragged him back into the grim reality and he forced a reserved smile to his face. "The council requested an audience with you, Your Majesty. There were a few things they meant to discuss, regarding any changes you may wish to make."  
"I didn't realize they expected to have a say in how I run my kingdom," she grimaced. 

"There is also the little matter of your coronation ceremony."  
"There's no need for ceremonies and celebrations," she scoffed. "The people of Asgard should know who their rightful Queen is by now. I'd think they would have had enough of balls and garden parties."  
She took a sip of her wine, tilting her head and observing the statues of her forefathers in the distance. "Although, I do suppose it's going to be a party in my honor. I'll think about it. In more urgent matters, did the delegation from Jotunheim return?"

"Empty-handed, Your Majesty," he lowered his head, expecting the sharp glare he received just seconds later.  
"Why is that?"  
"The giants refuse to negotiate."

Her footsteps echoed through the otherwise quiet room and when he lifted his head, he found her smiling as she approached him. "This time then, _you_ go."  
She glanced over to her wolf, her expression softening as she approached the massive beast. "You and Fenris. Remind them there are two ways to negotiate."

She placed her hand on the massive, wet nose, smiling. "The nice, peaceful way and the _fun_ kind, the one their lands would never handle and their sons would never survive."

Swallowing hard, he stared at that golden-tinted reflection once again, that stared back at him with fear and discontent in its eyes.  
"It will be done, Your Majesty."

~ ~ ~

Most of her upper body disappeared in her cascade of dark hair as she leaned over, trying to insert herself in the former prince's line of sight and drag him back into reality.  
"Midgard has been treating me much better than Asgard, lately," he eventually broke the silence, offering his companion a smile. "Not that I have any secrets to give you from _Midgard_ , either."

She tossed her long locks behind her shoulders, returning his smile. "I don't think Midgard has anything of import to offer, my lord."  
"I can't begin to tell you how wrong you are," he shook his head and pushed his empty flagon to the bartender. "I am still going to try, though. My treat, this time, how do you feel about beer?" he suggested, receiving her gentle grin as a positive response.

"Have you visited it, then? Midgard?" he asked, finding his new friend's green eyes.  
"Not _extensively_ , no. I know what you're going to say, it has beautiful places to visit, but so does every other realm, really," she waved her hand in circles.

He pursed his lips. "Yes, the very different and unique beauty of each individual world is such a boring concept."  
She snorted and closed her eyes, pressing her forehead on her knuckles. "That's not what I said, my Lord, but it couldn't have been the beautiful sights the realm had to offer that captured your heart."

Thor was momentarily left staring at the mugs the quiet bartender pushed towards him, picking the one his intoxicated mind decided had the frothier head and offering it to the woman beside him. "Captured my heart, you say?"  
"If you are to believe the rumors."

"Go ahead, do just that," he fixed his eyes in the depths of his mug, licking the foam off his lips.  
"So, what was it? What got you so enamored with Midgard?" she was leaning closer again, supporting her chin on the back of her hand. "A lady, perhaps?"

He tilted his head, finding green eyes observing him intently once again.  
"Once upon a time, a lady helped," he admitted, his smile turning forlorn. "Then, I fell in love with all of them. The people, I mean," he widened his eyes, leaving her to wonder if he was baffled by the statement himself. "The Midgardians. They are so magnificent, there is beauty in their hearts and horrors in their minds."

"They have the lifespan of a butterfly and technology your grandfather would laugh at," she blinked fast, her expression informing anyone who would manage to read it she was beginning to question the thunder god's intelligence.  
"But, what do they do with it?" he shifted his body towards her and placed his forearm around his beer glass, almost protectively. "Have you _heard_ what they are capable of? They reach for the stars, they spend their butterfly lives working for things they could only dream possible," fascination colored his voice. "We were _handed_ tools and powers they _created_ from scratch."

"You spoke of horrors in their minds," she pointed out. "Your beloved realm has a dark side."  
"My beloved realm has several dark sides," Thor shrugged. "Just like every other species living in our universe, humans can use their power for good or evil. The heart of a mortal is just like any other."  
"But you still love them, despite the fact?" she dragged her finger against the rim of her mug, suddenly looking lost in thought.

He took a sip, finding his beer was disappearing faster than he would have hoped. "You can't love something because of its merits alone. Then you don't love _it_ , or _them_ for that matter," he raised his eyebrows, swinging his mug along with every word, "You just love _your_ concept of them."

She swallowed hard, keeping her eyes on her drink, stroking the mug's sleek, wooden surface with her thumbs. If she ever planned to give him an answer, her thoughts had gotten the best of her.  
She hang her head, letting her hair cover her face. "I see," was all she managed.

"Now, don't you get me _wrong_ ," he boomed, placing a hand on her shoulder, blissfully oblivious to her distress. "Mortals are magnificent, but they're also hopeless, ridiculous and prone to trouble!"  
Smiling down at his mug, he took another sip.  
"Especially when I'm not there."

~ ~ ~

"Eyes here."

Concerned, confused gazes were peeled away from the screen that was, up until a moment ago, showing Captain America's struggle with a SHIELD jet that had been set after him. As commanded, all eyes were soon fixed on Agent Sitwell.

Sharon Carter took a step forward, cautiously studying the officer.  
As far as she recalled, she had never witnessed him looking _nervous_ before.

"Whatever your op is, bury it," the man continued, once he was certain he had every single agent's attention. "This is Level One. Contact DOT; all traffic lights in the district go red."

Clipboards were flipped open, her best-trained colleagues trying to regain their composure and jot the surreal information down.

"Shut all runways at BWI, IAD and Reagan," he moved slowly, carefully observing the men and women surrounding him. "All security cameras go through this monitor, right here," he pointed at the large screen behind him, now adorned with Captain Rogers's face. 

"Scan all open sources. Phones, computers, PDAs, _whatever_. If someone _tweets_ about this guy, I want to know about it."

Having allowed her gaze to drop off her superior's face for just a moment, Sharon lifted her head, fixing her eyes on the bespectacled man.  
No part of this made any real sense. No part of this seemed right.

"With all due respect," she spoke up, "If SHIELD is conducting a manhunt for Captain America, we deserve to know why."

Through the corner of her eye, she saw agents nodding and exchanging looks, she saw more people _questioning_ this mess they were finding themselves in.

"Because he lied to us," a new voice echoed through the room, making all heads turn. 

The newcomer was none other than Alexander Pierce, the Secretary of the World Security Council.

"Captain Rogers has information regarding the death of Director Fury," agents opened a path for the man, surrounding and diverting all their attention to him. "He refused to share it."

A tag with the words 'Rogers, Steven' appeared above the pale face on the monitor.

"As difficult as it is to accept," Pierce turned his gaze on the face of America, "Captain America is a fugitive from SHIELD." 

~

Sweatpants, a hoodie and his running shoes. As far as disguises went, this particular one left much to be desired.  
But then, when you're running from a massive spy organization that knows a little too much about you, shopping for a good early Halloween costume was nearly impossible.  
Especially when the plan was to return to the hospital Fury had breathed his last breath in.

The flash drive was no longer stuck in the vending machine where he had stashed it. The culprit showed herself within moments, chewing the pink bubblegum that had served as its hiding spot, staring at him through the machine's reflective glass, a self-satisfied look plastered on her face.

A look that disappeared, giving way to concern and confusion, as he dragged her into the closest empty room.

 

"I know who killed Fury," her eyes were moving frantically, examining his expression. "Most of the intelligence community doesn't believe he exists; the ones that do, call him the Winter Soldier.  
He's credited with over two dozen assassinations in the last fifty years."

Steve furrowed his brows, shaking his head in disappointment. "So, he's a ghost story."

"Five years ago, I was escorting a nuclear engineer out of Iran," Natasha continued, her eyes firmly fixed in his own. "Somebody shot out my tires near Odessa. We lost control, went straight over a cliff. I pulled us out, but the Winter Soldier was there. I was covering my engineer, so he shot him-"  
She lifted her shirt, revealing a deep scar near her belly button. "-Straight through me. Soviet slug. No rifling... Bye-bye, bikinis," her lips curved into a smile.

"Yeah, I bet you look terrible in them now," he pointed out, ripping his eyes away from her scar. 

"Going after him is a dead end. I know. I've tried."  
Reaching into her jacket, she pulled out Fury's flash drive.  
"Like you said, he's a ghost story."

Steve took in from her hand, studying the intensions hidden behind her gaze one last time.  
"Well, let's find out what the ghost wants."

~ ~ ~

"The mortals should be very grateful you happened upon them," she muttered through a mouthful of her own hair. "They would be lost without you."  
There were small scars on the fingers that invaded her line of sight, as Thor ran them through her hair, pulling it behind her ears. "Your curtain is beautiful, but I can't hear your voice when you're eating it."

She snorted a laugh out, hiding her face in her palm. "Won't your ridiculous mortals miss you?"  
"I presume so, but I had to brave this adventure, for family's sake. Plus, I brought my favourite mortals with me."

"The beast and the man in the iron suit?" she asked, her disbelief echoing through her voice and forcing her to regain her composure.  
"You've met them, then," he lifted his mug in the air, an inaudible toast to his fellow Avengers. "Aren't they magnificent?" he beamed.

"In the long list of words I would use to describe them, magnificent isn't one of them," she buried herself in her mug.  
"Why not? Do you even know them?" he frowned, raising an eyebrow.

"I wouldn't _necessarily_ -"

"No, wait," he raised his hands, pushing his mug away, "You can't just _draw_ conclusions without meeting them first."  
She raised an eyebrow and tapped her fingers sofly on the bar counter.

"I know what you're thinking," he continued, "The Hulk is big, green and scary and Tony is a mortal, so there _must_ be something - What, _wrong_? They are beautiful, intelligent men-"  
"The Hulk is beautiful and intelligent...?" she blinked fast, leaning away from him.  
"Of course he is," he nodded vigorously. " _Bruce_ is and so is the Hulk, they're like-" he connected the tips of his forefingers, " - But - " he then pointed at opposite directions. "The Hulk is _inside_ Bruce. They're different, but the same? I don't know, they're both my friends, or friend, I don't care."

He found the lady's hand on the counter and gently took it in his own, leaning close, talking gently and slowly, the way he would with a frightened child.  
"I know he _looks_ scary, sometimes he _is_ scary, but he's completely misunderstood, back in the invasion he fought right by our side and just hours ago, in the Isle-" he took a deep breath, refilling his lungs with the strength to rant on. "- He came, he fought by my side, he swam through the Sea of Mist with my Father on his back," his eyes were big, filled with excitement.

She exhaled sharply and rolled her eyes, but in the end, a smile found its way on her face. "I didn't know all of that," she admitted.  
"And Tony," he continued, jumping at the edge of his stool as he mentioned the man's name, "Tony is this _amazing_ man with that incredible mind and the _biggest_ heart you could ever imagine. That's how he stole mine, really," he beamed, lowering his gaze shyly.

"I'm sorry, he did _what_ to your heart?" her mouth was stuck hanging open.  
"We are lovers," he rubbed the back of his neck. "We _just became_ lovers," he specified. 

She glanced around the bar, behind her back, behind _his_ back. "You're in a relationship with Tony Stark?" she asked, her expression deadpan.  
"We did it a little backwards," he shrugged. "We were roommates first, I went to live with him after Hela threw me back on Midgard. Things, _blossomed_ from there," his smile was big and goofy, but sincere.

"You're announcing in a packed bar that you took a male lover? Aren't you _scared_?" she leaned close, her voice turning into a hissing whisper.  
The confusion plastered on his face was endearing.

"They may call you names," she explained. "People won't accept you. People will say the son of Odin is _ergi_."  
He leaned close, matching her tone of voice.  
"Do you want me to climb on this stool and scream for everyone to hear that I am in love with a man?"

She narrowed her eyes and licked her bottom lip. "I'm calling your bluff. You wouldn't do it."

Maintaining eye contact, he pressed his hand down on the bar counter, throwing his weight on it to help himself climb on the stool.

"Hello, kind patrons," he called out, smiling as all eyes slowly turned on him. "Me again. Thor? Son of Odin? Remember my friend from before?"  
He gestured at the woman, who was keeping narrowed, amused eyes on him.  
"She thinks I wouldn't climb on this stool and announce to all of you that I am in love with a man!"

He lolled his head to the side, so he could face her, offering his best smile. "I would say I just did that!"

~ ~ ~

As far as Tony could tell, the cypress was ancient. Easily one of the tallest trees he had seen, with a thick trunk and branches covered in sage-colored moss.  
Running his fingers through it, he discovered it had the consistency of spider silk.

At its core, he found the god he had been looking for, sitting with his back pressed against the trunk, hair tied back, eyed closed. His forearms were pressed against his knees, his fingers moved lazily every few seconds, sometimes cracking against each other and sometimes hiding themselves in his fist. 

According to Frigga and Vanaheim's best healers alike, Thor's hope to hear his father's voice again anytime soon, was a tall order. The damage the Isle's effects had done to his seiðr, health and psyche was no small concern.  
They had promised that with the help of magic and medicine, the elder god would be good as knew, _in due time_.

They hadn't bothered to frame 'due time' with a more easily understandable _estimated number_.

Tony had promised Thor there was a floor in his tower with Odin's name written on it, money he was willing to offer, discreet and capable doctors he could hire should the family decide to bring him to Earth. He had suggested physical and speech therapy, he had even bypassed the pain the concept of a 'psychic' caused him and proposed they enlisted the help of Charles Xavier.  
That was all just before he got into that argument with the Capital's most renowned healer about the use of _healing crystals_ , consequently calling the elder Vanir a _charlatan_ , at which point he was whisked away by Frigga, who suggested somebody should look for Thor who had been missing for a while.

When Thor opened his eyes, Tony was kneeling in front of him, wrapping his hands around his calves. 

"Can you believe I miss the sounds of the city?"  
"That's New York for you," the edge of Tony's lips curved into a smile. His hands traveled higher, pushed themselves past the god's own, coming to rest over his knees. He rubbed soft circles on the dark leather that dressed Thor's legs. "It stinks, aliens like invading it, it's a complete nightmare. I can't stay away, either."

Thor chuckled and spread his legs, reaching a hand out to pull Tony closer. Pressed against the god's torso just moments later, Tony threw his head back and closed his eyes, stroking the arms that were wrapped around him absentmindedly. 

"I may have caused a diplomatic incident between Earth and Vanaheim," he said, slipping his fingers between Thor's. "Just a heads up."  
A kiss and a low, muffled chuckle were pressed on Tony's exposed nape, sending a shiver down his spine.

"Are you alright?" the inventor asked, running a gentle thumb over a deep scratch on the side of the god's wrist.  
"I'm mad," Thor whispered, supporting his chin on the top of Tony's head, his gaze piercing through the tree's mossy veils. "It's for the wrong reason."

"Did seeing your father this way lead you to the inevitable realization that he did not in fact hung the moon?" he asked.  
It was a troublesome but necessary, liberating part of every son's life. Tony was fairly certain that twenty-three years after his own father's death, he still hadn't truly accepted that notion.  
"He did hung the moon. It's crooked and upside down and he never warned me I was supposed to set it straight," his voice was a heavy rumble.

The smaller man brought the god's hand to his lips, planting small kisses on his fingertips.  
"All the same, _none_ of this should matter right now," the god continued. "My father is sick," he widened his eyes, replaying his own words within his thoughts a few times, hoping to ram their meaning, their significance in the depths of his stubborn mind, finding that regardless, his anger wasn't dissipating.

"- And despite all that, he still owes you answers. You were nearly murdered by a sister you never knew you had. Now, that's a conversation to have over Sunday tea," Tony turned his head, pressing his cheek on the silver crest on Thor's chest.  
"Maybe so. But how can this be the one thing at the forefront of my mind at a time like this?"

The words leaving his mouth tasted worse than they sounded and Thor caught himself wondering how eye-straining the light they painted him in was.  
Had it been anyone else sitting under the cypress with him, he would never have given a voice to his ugly thoughts, but this was Tony, the man that time and time again, had proven he could see into his heart.  
The one man who _deserved_ to see into his heart, even when it was looking weak and ugly.

"You're not a bad son," Tony promised through lips still attached to the god's fingertips. "Your _anger_ doesn't make you a bad son. Do you know that?"

Thor's response was a shaky exhale. Pulling himself away from the god's embrace, he shifted back to a kneeling position, finding blue eyes looking lost and glassy.  
"Listen to me," he commanded, wedging his body between his lover's knees, cupping his face in warm hands. "He's hurt, sure, but he doesn't get an 'out of jail free' card for everything he's done. You're not a villain for wanting an explanation."

The blond opened his mouth, ready to offer painful counter-arguments, but they slipped off his mind as soon as they came and his mouth was left hanging open. He buried his nose in Tony's hand and closed his eyes. 

"You're not a bad son," Tony repeated, pulling Thor's head gently to his chest and wrapping his arms around his neck. 

"You're not a bad son," again, as Thor held him with shaking hands, nodding vigorously against his own hoodie that Tony was currently wearing.

"You're the most caring man I've ever met, you go the extra mile, you lay your life on the line for your own," he spoke the words in the god's hair, where they would perhaps find their way to his mind faster. "You're not a _bad son_. You're only-"

 _Human_ , he thought of saying, but Thor was not a _human_ , not in the traditional sense, not really.  
He was instead a _god_ , an alien idea, supposed to be fleeting and unapproachable. 

Except he was in Tony's arms, holding him gentler than the man thought him capable of and tighter than Tony thought he deserved. Scared, vulnerable, pressed against Tony's own heart.

" _Real_ ," he decided. "So much more real than anyone I've met in my entire life. A real person, feeling real shit that won't do you the favor of disappearing the moment they're inconvenient. You know what? _They shouldn't fucking have to._ "

Somewhere between the moment he hid in his lover's arms and now, Thor's eyes had turned red. Lifting his head, he searched for Tony's lips, finding and capturing them in a kiss, the lead of which he gave to Tony, getting lost in his familiar taste.  
He could keep kissing this man until his lips began to bleed, until the air in his lungs was gone. 

"I just want to go home with you," he told his mortal, pressing their foreheads together.  
"We'll take Asgard back, baby," Tony whispered, resting his pounding heart in the god's embrace.  
"No, not Asgard. Earth; New York; The tower. _Our_ home."

Tony closed his eyes and smiled, Thor's warmth and those strange, beautiful words his god had just spoken filling his heart.  
"Then I'll take you home, baby."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boy, this chapter did _not_ want to happen. I wrote and erased, started and restarted and erased some more, growing frustrated...  
> And then one beautiful day, I decided, _screw it_ , I'll write something fun and try not to think too much. And you know what...? It worked and I can say with confidence, I am happy with the result.
> 
> For anyone unfamiliar with the concept of _ergi_ , it's an 'Old Norse terms of insult, denoting effeminacy or other unmanly behavior', in short, it's the Old Norse word for 'faggot'. I was introduced to the concept through fanfiction, myself. As for the information on Hlidskjalf, I didn't make it up mysef, I originally found it [in this article](https://www.thegamer.com/marvel-ridiculous-things-asgard-everyone-forgets/).
> 
> Anyone who guesses the identity of the mysterious woman gets a cookie. 
> 
> Now wish me luck, 'cause I got finals starting September 2nd and boy, am I _not pumped_ for them.


	15. A storm you can't run from

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor gets a rather ominous vision and decides to distract himself until the morning comes to force him to deal with his strange reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fates have willed it, so it shall be.  
> Now the light is lit.  
> The light is me.
> 
> \-- Fates Creations, Kaspa Richards

Thence come the maidens mighty in wisdom,  
Three from the dwelling down 'neath the tree;  
Urth is one named,  
Verthandi the next,--  
On the wood they scored,--  
and Skuld the third.  
Laws they made there, and life allotted  
To the sons of men, and set their fates

~/~

They rose from the depths of the frozen lake, skeletal figures dressed in silken black veils that left no part of their bodies exposed, save for their gangly arms.

Perfectly still, incapable to move, fight for his soul or run for his life, Thor watched their silent, graceful ascent. 

His heart was beating fast enough to shatter, but his mind was perfectly clear. There was no reason to dwell on fear now - there was no weapon in this world or the next to fight them with, no man or woman strong enough to halt their path, no plea or testimony they would heed.

They were there for him and whatever it was they wanted, they would have.

They stood on the drenched obsidian surrounding their lake, leaving no trail of water or blood as they closed the distance between themselves and the god of thunder.  
Their thin wet veils clang to their bodies and Thor couldn't find it within himself to avert his eyes. He only managed to raise them higher, search for their own.  
If they had any, it seemed they weren't meant for him to peer into.

They stood before him, towered over the god that had unbeknownst to himself challenged their attention. Their ire, perhaps, or their care.

Arms soaked and colored grey were brought forward, outstretched before Thor, so he could see the offerings they brought into his world.

One's arms were wrapped in the threads of fate, thin and glowing.  
One held sparks of electricity, crackling loudly between her fingers.

The third one, carried what Thor could only assume was a body, wrapped in its best burial shroud that had somehow remained untouched by the water. Looking closely however, he found its edges were already darkened, licked by invisible flames. 

His eyes wandered among the Maidens' strange offerings. 

In the distance, he could hear someone calling his name. 

~/~

Much like it was when he had left it, the room was still spinning.  
His mouth was dry, his head ached harder than he thought he deserved. 

A roar of thunder shook Vanaheim, a flash of lightning showered the room in its eerie light.

He was on the floor and that voice calling out to him belonged to Tony.

"Baby?" the man panted, cupping Thor's face in his hands as he sat up.  
Fumbling blindly through the dark, the god managed to wrap his arms around Tony and pull him on his lap, burying his face in his neck as the light of the arc reactor hid between their bodies.

Arms and legs felt tight around the god, his freezing body stole the smaller man's warmth.  
"I'm here baby, we're fine," Tony whispered, running his hands gently up and down the shivering god's back. "It wasn't real."

The windows rattled, shaken by the thunderstorm's fury.

"Are _you_ responsible for that?" Tony asked, pressing a kiss and a smile on the top of the god's head when he nodded.  
"Months ahead of the rainy season. Anyone who _knows_ I am in Vanaheim will know this is my doing," Thor pointed out, pulling back to search for Tony's eyes.

"Do you suppose they'll be grateful?"  
"That their crops are probably going to be destroyed or that the sky's anger won't let them sleep?" the god asked, a hint of a smile coloring his face and voice.  
"My point is, will I have to fight an angry horde of Vanir? Don't laugh," he protested Thor's deep chuckle, "I would. I would fight them all, I would fight anyone."

"I know, darling. You're fiercer than that storm outside," he wrapped his hand around the back of the man's neck. "You would protect me from the Fates themselves if you had to."  
"Screw the Fates, gorgeous, we make our own destiny," Tony promised with a wink, hugging the blond head as it softly headbutted his chest. "Do you think we should get back on the bed?"

"Quick question, first," the larger man interjected, "Where are we?"  
"The Halls of Queen Freya, that very graciously gave us that double bed you very cheerily asked for, in front of your parents and her entire court," Tony nodded along every word. "Do you remember doing that?"

Thor stared blankly at his lover's arc reactor, with an expression of utmost confusion plastered on his face.

"Thor?" Tony pursed his lips together, tilting his head to insert his amused gaze in his god's line of sight. 

"I announced in front of the patrons of a packed bar that I was in love with a man," the blond announced, silly smile creeping back on his face.  
Suddenly overly aware of his own breathing, Tony let out a deep exhale. "Do I know him?" he tried to mimic Thor's expression, ending up with what he guessed was the face of a man who had never heard of smiling.

"I should have told them it was you," Thor shook his head gently, quickly regretting the action as his imminent hangover decided to announce itself with a stab to his brain.  
"Kiss me and shut up," Tony commanded, pressing his thumb under the god's chin and catching his lips in his own. 

His heart was suddenly pounding and Thor still tasted so electric. 

The arm wrapped around Tony's waist slipped lower, ending up tucked under the man's ass, hand firmly grasping his hip. The god used his now free hand as leverage to get himself and his prize off the floor, holding his laughter back as Tony hummed angrily against his lips. 

"Let me go and _then_ get up, you _gigantic alien_ ," the inventor glanced over Thor's shoulder, finding he was too high off the floor for his liking.  
"No sane man would let you go," he proclaimed, pressing his knee on the bed and gently lowering his lover on it, only to find himself trapped in a leglock.

"Don't just _lift me up_ like that!" Tony protested, running soothing hands on the god's bare chest. "Are you feeling okay?"  
"No," Thor confessed, running his fingers in the smaller man's hair and gently _tugging_ at it, planting kisses on his lover's exposed neck. "But, you're here," he whispered, lips pressed against the pulsating spot on Tony's neck, "You're warm and beautiful and you take my woes away."

In the morning, he would be hangover and sick, surrounded by confused Vanir, obligated to worry and decipher his vision.  
As the storm got louder and the night was still there, he could forget anything other than Tony existed in his world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm feeling like you guys deserve an explanation here.
> 
> So, like I mentioned in the previous chapter, September was finals month and I spent the first two weeks in this intense commuting - studying - forgetting what sleep was routine. Afterwards, life was mostly just a bitch and as for this chapter, it was written, erased, re-written... you get the drill. I feel very bad for taking this long and I can say it will very likely happen again, _but_ I promise this story is very alive and kicking. I'm very proud of this creation and I wouldn't let it go without a fight.
> 
> Now, the new semester just started and I foresee very difficult beginnings to my weeks, as Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are already proving to be exhausting. This chapter in its full glory was most likely going to be done by the end of this week or the next, but after spending so long without posting... I figured I would post what I have so far, no matter how small it may be and make what was going to be the rest of chapter 15, chapter 16. 
> 
> So this chapter was heavily inspired by the [music video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5h4yJ-BpL4) of the song 'Speeding Cars' by Walking On Cars.


	16. Wandering Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor needs to say his goodbyes, before returning to Midgard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Family affairs; they're complicated. Especially when some of the children are dead and some want to kill you.

"I know you had to follow your heart."

She stood before the window, drew the cotton curtains open. Vanaheim's warm sun came to caress her face.  
She let her eyes wander over the grassy field surrounding Queen Freya's Halls, absent-mindedly following the former queen of Asgard with her gaze, as she strolled through the garden with a man Lady Sif didn't recognize by her side.

One of Thor's Avenger friends, maybe?

"I just wish it had led you somewhere closer to home," she swallowed hard, keeping her eyes away from the thunder god, even as he quietly approached, coming to stand next to her.

"It _did_ lead me home. It just turned out home was not Asgard," his own eyes fell on the pair walking in the gardens, just as his mother cupped Tony's smiling face in her hand. 

"I'm trying to understand why," the brunette responded sharply, leaning on the window frame.  
"I don't suppose you think the people _lesser_ , like my father does?" he raised an eyebrow, memories of passing comments involving goats in banquets returning in his mind. 

He had never gotten the chance to remind his father that goats were a popular dish for a banquet table.

"We've all made the mistake of considering people from foreign realms _lesser_ before," Sif shook her head. "The mortals stood before a menacing army they had never even heard of and brought them all down, it would be foolish to underestimate them."

His smile was beaming as he leaned closer to his sword sister. "The particular one you're looking at, tossed a nuclear missile through the portal the Chitauri opened, _destroying_ the Mothership. Nearly plummeted to his death, afterwards, but then, Tony Stark isn't the man to shy away from death."

She narrowed her eyes, studying the man in question, now walking backwards and gesturing excitedly as he explained something to the Allmother.

"That is the Man of Iron, then?"  
"Also, my lover."

Those eyes that had been avoiding his own were now wide and confused, studying every detail of his face, searching perhaps for a sign that he was joking.  
He met them bravely, but he bit hard into the inside of his cheek, terror building up in his chest. Part of him thought he should have waited to announce that the next time they saw each other, perhaps more carefully, under better circumstances. 

Perhaps, it would be wiser to keep the information to himself, altogether? 

"You can't be announcing that in here," the lady glanced over her shoulder, studying the corridor for bypassers.  
"I already announced it in the capital's largest bar. The Vanir aren't people aren't gossipers, but I'm pretty sure most of the capital has already heard," he informed her, inwardly telling himself to shrug, show the woman standing next to him none of this had to be a big deal.

She remained silent, but when their eyes met again, her expression seemed softer.

"What happened to your lady Jane?"  
"It didn't work out," he mumbled.  
"How long has this been going on, then?" she raised an eyebrow, her gaze scouting through the garden with renewed interest.

"It feels like he was meant to claim my heart for months now, but it only happened a few nights ago."  
"I never knew you were interested in men," she lowered her voice. 

"It's not something you easily, openly admit when you have a reputation to worry about," he shrugged.  
"Aren't you worried about how this will reflect on your family? The world will call you-"

" _Ergi_ ," Thor hissed the word out. "Is that something _you_ will be calling me?" the words slipped out before he could think them through.  
"I will," the woman shook her head. "In jest," a half-smile appeared on her face. "If anyone else calls you that in sincerity, I will introduce them to my blade."

He hadn't realized how much tension he was holding in his entire body, until that very moment. Tension that would probably have helped soften the blow of Lady Sif's elbow piercing through his stomach.  
He was soon bent over, holding onto the assaulted area.

"That's for ever thinking I would think less of my brother for taking a male lover."  
"You _looked_ like you were about to do just that-" he countered, raising a hand to defend himself when the woman glared at him.  
A hand he carefully extended, until it was on her shoulder- using it to pull her in his arms. 

She buried her face in his chest, locked him in a tight embrace. "We missed you."  
"You're mad at me," he said, pressing his chin on the top of her head.  
"You up and left," she pushed him away gently. "Denounced the throne, disappeared to Midgard, you _barely_ stopped to say goodbye."  
"Why didn't you come visit?" he cocked his head. 

"I wanted to believe it wouldn't be long before you returned," she admitted, suddenly looking tired.  
She pushed the curtain aside once again, searching through the garden for Norns knew what. 

The Man of Iron and the Allmother were gone.

"Pardon?" Thor pursed his lips. 

"Not in a 'Jane is an unworthy mortal' sense," she explained, shaking her head. "In the sense that I refused to accept Midgard was going to be your new home. I didn't want to believe that was the end of our adventures and you were gone."  
She smiled bitterly. "It sounds stupid when I say it out loud, doesn't it?"

Thor hang his head, studied the patterns on the stone floor under their feet. He tapped his boot's steel toe on it lightly, taking in the sound it made as if it was the most important thing in his universe.

"I do have the tendency to make my people feel like I have abandoned them."  
"You wear your heart on your sleeve but you don't open your damn mouth to tell us what you're thinking," she said, narrowing her eyes at him again.

"You will forever be my sister," he smiled warmly.  
"Are you sure that's a compliment? I've met your sister," she pointed out, leaning into him, pressing her hand tightly on the arm he wrapped around her chest.  
"You will forever be everything a sister _should_ be," he explained. "Just, promise me you won't die, too. I can never seem to hold onto a sibling."

"Loki-"  
"If we pick up the subject of Loki, we will never be done," he rushed to interrupt her. The very _mention_ of the name felt like a stab to the heart.  
"What of Balder, then-"  
"I don't wish to talk about Balder," his voice came out deeper, perhaps thanks to that knot that climbed in his throat as his baby brother's face came to mind. 

Pale, almost _waxy_ , his features twisted in a forced image of peace, the red hair surrounding his face looking almost out of place pressed on the ashen skin.  
Why couldn't he conjure up a happy memory of his youngest sibling? 

Sif wrapped her hand around the silver Vanir armguard concealing Thor's forearm, ran her thumb on the carvings decorating it.  
"You wear your heart on your sleeve, just under your armguards. It bleeds and you won't let anybody see."  
"My heart is wearing its brightest smile, I got to see my sister again," he hurried the words along, forcing a grin.  
"Tell me - where are the other morons fate tasked you to look after?"

She snorted a quick laugh out, rolled her eyes at him. She observed their reflection quietly, conflicted on whether she should allow the subject change.  
That grin on his lips never did make it into the blue eyes looking at her through the glass. 

"Thor-"  
"Please," he closed his eyes, his smile turned bitter. "Different subject. Not _them_ , not now, not yet," his breath was caught in his throat. "Hogun. Volstaag. Fandral. Where are they? I miss them. What adventures have they been up to, without me?"

"Marauders resurfaced as soon as the regime changed," she explained, the hand she had wrapped around his armguard falling to her side, proof of her defeat. 

"There was nothing we could do for Asgard, so we lent our blades to the other realms. Just like old times," she half-smiled.

"Isn't that supposed to be Hela's jurisdiction, now?"

"We won't give her the time to make it her jurisdiction," Sif hissed. "Besides, she's busy sending delegations to threaten the realms into submission."  
"Is it working?" he raised an eyebrow.

It was her turn to stare at the stone design under her boots. 

"I want to tell you the people are strong and resilient, but it seems they are quick to forget everything the line of Odin did for this world."  
"The line of Odin invaded and conquered, Sif," Thor countered. "The stories of peace and the world joining in a giant hug were fairytales to hide the real, bloody history of how our world came to be."

He met her worried eyes, pushed a few stray strands of dark hair behind her ears.  
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him.

"One day, we will remove her from the throne and show the world what _else_ the line of Odin can do."  
His smile faltered.  
"Or, whoever takes the throne of Asgard."

If there was disappointment plastered on the lady's face, he wasn't looking at it, therefore, it didn't exist.

"You still don't plan to rule," she pointed out.  
"I'm not fit to be a King," he shook his head. "I will take on the throne if I am asked to, until I can name somebody more capable."

She moved away from his embrace, letting his arm hang in mid-air. "How was the boy that swung his hammer around for the crowds more _responsible_ than the man life should have forced you to become?"

"My responsibility to my people is to give them the ruler they deserve," his voice came out higher, but some time between words, his smile had turned serene.  
He threw his hands in the air. "I will _fight_ for Asgard and I will forever care about it, but our mother realm doesn't need another warrior to send it into magnificent battles, my friend. Neither does it need a man who wishes he could cut his heart in two and spare a piece for each of the worlds he calls his own."

He offered an outstretched hand, grasping her own when she reluctantly took the offer and pulling her close. He pressed their tightly gripping hands on his chest and Sif's lips stretched into a smile of confidence and challenge.  
That was his Lady Sif; his real sister.

"I will forever be Thor of Asgard. My _birthright_ doesn't make me a King; and I refuse to tie myself to this realm and look at it as my prison in a few hundred years."

She crinkled her nose at him, squeezed his hand, tighter and tighter still, until he _surrendered_ , struggling to free his hand from her grip.  
When they turned to gazing at their reflections on the window pane, they found they were wearing matching grins.

"I could be King," she crossed her arms.  
"No, you couldn't," Thor countered confidently, jumping away to avoid a swift blow to the ribs. "Not when you're so eager to beat your loyal subject up," he continued, wrapping his arms protectively around his midsection.

"You're an exception," she explained. "Speaking of beating up, though, where did your little lover run off to?"

"I will regret asking, but why?" he raised an eyebrow.  
"So I can give him a demonstration of what happens to him if he breaks your heart."

~

"You're going to take care of yourselves. You promise me that?" Thor pulled his mother in his arms, pressed a kiss to her forehead.  
"Your father is in good hands, my love," Frigga promised as she held her son tight.  
Goodbyes never seemed to get any easier.

"I didn't ask you to ensure my father's wellbeing _alone_ ," he pressed his hands on her shoulders and looked straight into her eyes. "I need you to care for _yourself_ before anything. You need to rest and stop worrying. You've been through too much these past few years."

"Worrying, I can't stop," she chuckled, taking her son's hand into her own. "But with your father back by my side, where he belongs, I may actually manage to catch a wink of sleep."

Her eyes wandered, finding the impatient iron-clad inventor caught in a heated conversation with his gray-haired friend and Lady Sif.  
"There may come a night where your bed will feel cold without a certain individual in it, too."

The large blond followed his mother's line of sight, choking back a laugh as he came across the whimsical image of Sif _shoving_ Bruce repeatedly - Thor had made the mistake of informing her she needed to enrage Bruce in order to see the green hulking beast his stories had promised her.

Tony allowed her four failed attempts before stepping between them. 

"Do you think somebody _informed_ Father about _him_?" he asked gently, reluctantly turning to face Frigga once again.  
"Your father would have to be stupid, deaf and blind to not notice what is blooming right before his eyes," her lips curved into a smirk.  
"Do you, then, suppose he _approves_ of us?" he asked, his mouth twitching for a split second, as if to form a smile.

A smile he couldn't really form, not while studying his mother's expression led him to the answer he expected, but _didn't have to like_.

"Do you remember the day you three were making your journey to the Isle?" Frigga asked, her eyes stilled on Tony Stark. "You remember that I was with you, in your minds, the entire time?"  
"Vividly."  
"Once he figured out he could reach _back_ and _talk to me_ , instead of just listen to everything I had to say, he would ask if you were well every few minutes," she said, her voice coming out tender, her smile warm. 

In the short distance, Tony was laughing. Bruce's face was hidden in his palm and Sif was talking incomprehensibly fast. 

"He didn't ask me if the Isle would be dangerous for him a single time; no, he couldn't hear your voice, you couldn't tell him that you were well, so his mind was racing."

The inventor caught the almost identical pairs of blue eyes on him, winked for his favorite one and Thor's brightest smile was back. 

"That man gave my child a home, a hand to hold. He gave you your smile back, Thor. If your Father wants to speak of low status and mortality, I'll show him exactly where he can shove those words."  
"Mother!" Thor exclaimed, staring at the goddess, amused and wide-eyed.  
"I love that man to bits, son, but we have done _too many_ mistakes when it comes to our children," she shook her head. "I refuse to stand in the way of your happiness- or let anybody else do that."

There was no perfect answer to give a parent admitting the mistakes that had shaped your own life, the god immediately found.  
_You did_ sounded too _honest_ , too _painful_. _You didn't_ was a blatant lie that she didn't deserve; a lie almost just as bad as him saying _I don't remember any of it_. He half-smiled and wrapped an arm around Frigga.  
"We all have," his voice was almost a whisper.

"We haven't talked about your brothers," the goddess responded in a similar tone. Thor pressed a kiss to his mother's temple.  
"I still need to say goodbye to father," he said, suddenly in a hurry to cut the conversation short. The arm he attempted to retrieve was caught in a gentle grip and he was forced to turn his attention to Frigga's _general_ direction, do his best to avoid her eyes and the pain he knew he would see in them.

"Nobody _ever_ wants to talk about them," she cupped her son's face, stared up and into the baby blues so intent on avoiding her gaze. "You and your father both, you run from the pain and shove it down, turn it to vengeance and when that is done, anger and guilt and so many angry, _ugly_ things."

Letting go of his face, she pressed her hand on his chest, on the spot his heart was beating fast.

"They existed. They were there, they will forever be parts of us. Their memory shouldn't be an open, festering wound."  
"I should say goodbye to father," was all he managed to mumble, keeping his eyes on the ground. 

Frigga nodded softly, stood on the tips of her toes and stroked her son's blond head with both hands, eventually intertwining them at the base of his neck.  
"If you can't bring yourself to talk to anyone else, talk to _them_. Look up, into the sky and pour your heart out."

"The dead can't hear, mom," he whispered.  
"Maybe they can, or maybe they cannot. The point is for you to _talk_ , child."

Seeing as there was nothing more her son was ready to say, she backed off, taking the comforting pressure on the back of his neck with her.  
Absent-mindedly, he raised his own hand, covered the spot his mother's hands were on until a moment ago.

"Go on, now. You're keeping your Avengers waiting - and, you know how much your father hates goodbyes."

_His_ Avengers. What a concept...

~

Perhaps it was the lack of armor, the stature that had changed over the years, weight loss and atrophy the Isle of Silence was to thank for.  
Thor couldn't recall the last time he hugged his father - Norns, it must have been _years_ \- but he could swear he had never felt that _small_.

"I could stay, if you need me," Thor blurted out before considering, once again.  
Odin's solitary eye was remarkable at glaring daggers at him. The elder god pulled away from his son, studied him with that same eye their people had mistakenly called all-knowing.

_"I want my son near, with his family, where he_ belongs," the deep voice echoed pointedly through the halls of Thor's mind, _"But not if you plan to baby me."_

He straightened his back, put his hands behind it and wore his most serious expression. _"I am a warlord, boy, don't you dare forget that. I am not some meek old man that needs you to hold his hand."_

"I never meant to offend," the blond explained himself, amusement coloring his voice.

_"You've spent so long among the mortals,"_ Odin continued, voice steady as it travelled to his son's mind. He turned his gaze away, where it could jump out his room's window and run, search for the particular two mortals Thor had brought along with him.  
_"You forget who you're dealing with."_

"No bitter words about mortals, Father," the thunder god shook his head. "No bitter words, in general, for that matter," he commanded, forcing himself to keep looking at the elder god, when all his eyes wanted at the moment was to study every detail of his new shoes. "We have all the time in the world to discuss our faults. But now," he bounced on the balls of his feet nervously, "I just want to say goodbye to my father before I return to Midgard."

A simple request, or so he hoped. 

The Allfather's runaway gaze came back to report no signs of life, at least none currently strolling on that particular piece of grass it could explore, the one right outside his bedroom window. 

Thoughts and intentions rushed through his mind. There was that pesky little voice, reminding him of the anger he had felt when Frigga told him his son had denounced the throne, a voice speaking of 'responsibility' and 'duty'.  
But then, who was he really, to demand that of anyone? 

There was that need, buried deep in every parent's heart, to try and keep his child close for just a little bit longer, there were questions about mortals and fears that he had failed and betrayed his kin and so many more...

_"You were incredible, back in the Isle,"_ was the thought he decided to send his son's way, sighing audibly as he did so. _"Your friends, mortals or otherwise, are great warriors. You, of course, I never doubted,"_ he concluded.

After all, he had already sent too many children off with bitter words.

Thor beamed at him, puffed his chest up like a proud bird and Odin couldn't help sharing in that sense of pride.  
"I would never have guessed I could do this without Mjolnir in my hand."

_"Why not, son?"_ Odin exhaled sharply, while a sound oddly similar to _laughter_ traveled from his mind to Thor's. _"Are you Thor, the god of hammers?"_ he widened his eye. _"That hammer was to help you control your power; to focus it. It was never your source of strength."_

Slow and steady, he stepped closer to his firstborn son and pressed a hand on his shoulder. _"What you have to ask yourself now, is what are you going to do with all this power. How will you harness it, focus it, fight and create with it."_  
His hand slipped lower, came to rest over the smiling blond's heart. _"The power of Thor is here-"_ , he stretched his arm out, reached higher, touched two fingers to his son's temple, _"- And here. You can do_ anything _, so long as you use the sources of your power right."_

He pulled his hands behind his back. _"Do a better job than I did."_

"We have a lot to talk about," the thunder god shook his head. "But first, I need you to get better and look after yourself and _mother_ ," he widened his eyes, feeling almost satisfied when he read shame in his father's expression.

_"You_ are _coming back, then?"_ Odin asked, shooting a final glance out the window.  
"I will always find my way back."

_"Back home?"_ he turned his weathered gaze on his child.

"Back to family, that needs me," Thor specified, blinking slowly, the way a man tired would. "Family is here and family is _elsewhere_. A heart can belong in more places than one."

Such was the way of the traveller and Odin had spent a lifetime studying it.  
Perhaps, it wasn't fair of his child to demand he locked his heart in the box called Asgard - but then, the heart of a monarch was not supposed to belong to him alone and Thor should know that by now.

No bitter words, not at that last moment.

He took his place next to his son, pressed a tight hand on his shoulder. _"Keep your pace slow and take me to your friends. I need to thank them, before you're gone."_

No bitter words, had to mean no _more_ words.

~

Heimdall's portal left dark magic in the air. Making their slow way back to Queen Freya's halls, under the light of the setting sun, the former rulers of Asgard could still sense it; so _tangible_ , they could almost _touch_ it.

"You told the boy something _other_ than thank you, didn't you?" Frigga tapped her fingers gently on her husband's arm.  
_"Boy?"_ Odin asked, extending his neck to lift his gaze higher and clearing his throat.  
"Our son's man," she raised an eyebrow, made sure her tone cleared any doubts he possibly had about her waning patience.

_" **Boy**? Have you gone blind, the man is greying,"_ the voice hopping in Frigga's mind was bitter.  
"He is mature and handsome, our son has good taste."  
_"Our son has chosen a middle-aged mortal to help him further tarnish our reputation, just to be devastated when he shrivels up and_ dies _in twenty years!"_ Odin barked, his expression shifting. 

"What wonderful words your mind cooks up," she held onto her husband tightly, glaring daggers into the side of his face. "Be certain to tell your last surviving child still willing to speak to you this is exactly what you think about the person he cherishes."

_"You don't have to be cruel,"_ Odin countered, not bothering to hide the pain his thoughts broadcasted into his wife's mind. 

"Neither do you, my heart," she said, following an iridescent green beetle that buzzed past her with her gaze. "If they last a week, or thousands of years, we are still to _respect_ our son's choices. If one day, we have to pick up the pieces of a broken heart-"

_"Which we undoubtedly will-"_

"- Whether that is because Anthony is gone or the relationship ended-"

_"Not unlikely, mortals' hearts are flimsy, like-"_

"We are going to do just that!" the former queen raised her voice and stopped in the middle of the field. "Norns' sake, we are his _parents_ , we're supposed to look out for his happiness!"

_"This is like Foster, all over again,"_ Odin shook his head. _"Big hearts shatter worse than others. Best case scenario, we have to watch our kid fall apart, later, rather than sooner,"_ he pointed out, leaning on the nearest tree. _"Worst case scenario, we're dealing with some ambitious gold digger that gets the benefit of something pretty warming his bed while gaining access to a life he would never have dreamed of in his realm."_

Frigga closed her eyes and rubbed soft circles on her forehead. 

"The man is very intelligent, very rich and highly-regarded. He risked his own life to pull you out of the Isle and all you have to repay him with are _ugly_ thoughts. I was in his _mind_ Odin, he cares for our son."

She covered her face in her palm, spreading her fingers around her eyes to look at her husband. "You should be feeling nothing but gratitude, but your heart is full of anger. Don't you _dare_ tell me this is the best you can do. Don't you _dare_ tell me everything good was drained from you."

Odin hang his head, stared at the blades of grass that tried to ride away with the wind. _"I am a very old oss, in a very ugly world, trying to hold onto everything I have left."_

The buzzing beetle was back, flying near Frigga's face. The tired goddess opened her hand, smiled as she watched it land and run around her fingers. 

_"I'm terrified Thor will make a big mistake he can't run from. I made so many and he-"_  
"Thor is not you," she interrupted, keeping her eyes on the friendly beetle. She flipped her hair back gently, brought it to her shoulder to let it rest. "Stop projecting on our children and most of all, stop _hurting them_. This could be another Jane, it could be a gust of wind Thor doesn't remember in a hundred years. How soon do you think your son will forget what a horrible, ungrateful person his own father can be?"

She took a step closer to him.  
"Worse still, Odin, god that claims the mantle of wisdom. You know as well as I do, mortality is _reversible_. What if this is the man your son chooses to spend his own lifetime with, what then? Is this the way you want your son to remember you treating his _spouse_?"

Odin shuddered visibly and widened his eye, staring into Frigga's eyes, letting her feel the apprehension, the anger her words lit up in his heart. They stared each other down silently, a fight of wills and frantic thoughts that Odin eventually lost, wounded after repeatedly stumbling onto the irritating, but sound _reason_ behind her thoughts and words.  
Still, he remained silent, stepping on a few dry blades of grass, turning them into dust under his boot. 

"Mind yourself around our child and the people he calls his own, no matter the hows and the whys. We've damaged our children enough," Frigga stared down, into her intertwined hands.

_"_ You _did nothing wrong,"_ the elder god whispered in her mind.

"I watched you say and do things I didn't agree with and always took a step back, lest we present a less than united front, for our people and our children. I watched lives fall apart and reminded myself you had a plan, you were the god of wisdom. I did _nothing_ , that was wrong," she said, glancing at the now silent beetle on her shoulder.

The pair remained quiet, still and illuminated by the last few rays of sun the day had to offer. Odin studied his wife's expression; Frigga's eyes travelled into the distance.

_"I thanked them both. I told them they were brave and fought gloriously, they made for a fearsome group. I told the beast-man he had enviable strength and he should wear his power with pride, for all to see. I told the Man of Iron he will one day turn into a legend. I meant, each and every one of these words."_

"You're contradicting yourself," she sighed. A hint of a smile appeared on her lips. "I suppose I should be used to it, after so long. What _else_ did you tell him?" she raised an eyebrow.

_"Just that we are not_ done _, the time will come for us to have_ words _, is all,"_ he admitted, deflating, suddenly looking smaller. _"Words different and serious."_

"For your own sake and for the well-being of our son, those words better be nothing like what you just told me," she commanded, offering her husband a hand to hold onto. 

The rest of the way back to the halls, they spent in silence. Frigga reached into her husband's mind gently, felt it buzz and run, process, hopefully, her words. She felt him calmer.  



	17. Stages of grief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You remember most things while others fade away. You will remember Fury had an eyepatch, you won't remember what his voice sounded like. You will remember, Balder's hair was red, but not that song he loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back on Earth and the harsh realities the group missed are here to hit them hard.
> 
> Smaller chapter than usually, I may try the angle of writing less but posting more.

The beer bottle on the coffee table was nearly empty.  
Even for his standards, he had been drinking a little too much lately.

He lay on the couch, drifting in and out of sleep for what must have been a couple hours, judging by the sunlight's changes in the room.  
A welcome weight on his chest, a head of brown hair dragged him out of lethargy. He ran his fingers through that hair and down Tony's back, rubbing soothing lines on ever-aching muscles.

When his eyes focused, he noticed Bruce in the room, staring at the sunset, or perhaps his reflection, on the massive window pane.

"What kind of world decides Steve Rogers should be hunted like a common criminal?" he asked and the question registered as rhetorical in Thor's mind.  
He soon noticed the physicist's eyes turning questioningly on them. He sensed, Bruce needed some answers, out of anyone still there to hear his questions.  
Didn't they all?

"Captain America is - was, just another idol. He fell from grace, just like everyone does one bright day," Tony explained and Thor _heard_ the bitter smile in his voice. "The question we should be asking is, why is SHIELD chasing their best and brightest. Over _what_?"

"You can't tell me they suspect him for Fury's murder," Bruce's gaze wandered.  
"I can tell you they suspect him of _knowledge_ they never wanted him to have. Perhaps," he raised an eyebrow and lifted his torso, supporting his weight on his fists that sank into the couch on either side of Thor's body, " _Relevant_ to Fury's death."

The god arched his back, pressing gentle hands on Tony's ribcage, carefully guiding him down and back into his embrace. 

"How deep is the _shit_ we're in with SHIELD?" Bruce asked and there was a faint rumble behind his voice.   
"SHIELD brought in a group of mismatched ragtag 'heroes'," Tony lazily lifted a hand to form the air-quotes he thought were necessary, "To _Avenge_ this Earth. That doesn't make them the good guys, Bruce, that _never_ made them the good guys. They're still all spies and power, working behind the scenes, and now I sound like a conspiracy theorist lunatic," he pointed out, exhaling sharply as the balls of Thor's hands dug deeper into his back's trigger points.

"Why is it such a shock to you that Steve is a fugitive?" Thor's sudden, croaky voice grabbed their attention.   
Muttering words neither scientist could hope to translate under his breath, he pushed himself to a sitting position, offering a hand to pull Tony in once he figured the spot most comfortable to his strangely enough, sore body.   
He pushed a couple stray strands of messy hair off Tony's forehead, pressed a kiss on his furrowed brow.

"Steve is the man that will break your laws and your _jaws_ when they no longer agree with his morality. Something he is famous for," Thor shook his head, half-smiling.   
"Steve was also a man working for people that had no concept of trust, that _compartmentalized_ the missions he lead without his knowledge. Now, one of this operation's few good men is dead under mysterious circumstances," he sighed, tired eyes getting caught into Tony's familiar, warm gaze. "A man like Steve is _dangerous_ free, even if he knows nothing yet."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Bruce bounced on his toes, crossing his arms tightly enough to interrupt the flow of air to his lungs. 

Thor cocked his head to the side. Tony squeezed the god's arm gently, trying to pull his gaze back in, trying to _read_ that sudden exhaustion that seemed to be pulling him under.

"We can't contact them without burning them in the process," the inventor eventually answered. "Neither of them has anything besides a _work phone_ and if they share half a braincell they should have already gotten rid of them."

With Thor's clear permission, JARVIS was now going through his own SHIELD-issued cellphone, rooting out anything unwelcome and equally SHIELD-issued it could locate.  
He was going to miss the little black device - he had carried it on him from the day he had decided he was permanently moving in with Jane, at least when it wasn't lost between some couch cushions.   
Tony had promised him a new, better one about five different times since he gave it up, just after he was done reading the many messages Jane and Erik had left him these past few days.

"Natasha must be pretty broken-up about Fury," the god informed his fellow Avengers, unknowingly forcing them to reroute their minds, away from Steve's MIA status and back into the strange reality of the Director's demise.

"Were they close?" Tony narrowed his eyes.   
"She cared for him deeply," Thor explained, studying the scientists with a small smile. "You didn't picture Natasha as the type to _care_ for anyone, did you?"

"It's _Natasha_. She doesn't really show anything besides _the Black Widow_ ," Bruce hurried into his explanation.  
"The 'Black Widow', _Natasha_ , fought an army of aliens trying to destroy New York. You don't do that if you don't care," Tony pointed out, almost dumbfounded by the simple thought his mind hadn't quite conjured up before.

"There's a person behind the Man of Iron," Thor gestured to his lover, "The Berserker," he glanced at Bruce, "The God," he shrugged. "The Archer, the Soldier, even the Spider," he counted people on his fingers.   
"We haven't really made the effort to see past one another's prominent titles, we don't know what waits behind the noise. We, are a team," he pointed at himself, Bruce and Tony subsequently. "Clint and Natasha are a team. Steve, I don't know where he fits. We, as a whole, as Avengers, are a bunch of _titles_."

"Until an alien armada forces us to be something deeper," Tony shook his head.  
" - Or a bunch of vintage cards painted red," Bruce half-smiled.

Thor picked up his beer bottle, studying the label with the dark letters and the frayed edges.   
"I want to say Fury's heart was in the right place, but hearts _stray_. I'll say he _had_ a heart and that's so much more than you could say for some. I don't know how to mourn a man I barely knew," he raised his bottle in toast, before downing the last bit of beer from it. "I also have no idea how we could help Steve and Natasha right now."

"Do we want to accept that perhaps, we can't?" Bruce asked.  
"None of us is good with acceptance," Tony mumbled, the edges of his lips twitching as if to form a smile.  
"I need another drink," Thor widened his eyes. 

The scientists exchanged a look. Tony's lips moved, mouthing words he didn't want Thor to hear.   
Bruce seemed to be trying to cook up an _excuse_ , before silently walking out. 

When Tony pressed his fingers on Thor's chin, turning the god's head to look into his eyes, he found they were misty.

"Is this about Fury?" he asked gently.

An instinct buried somewhere within the god's mind wanted him to turn his face away, before Tony saw _more_.

"It's about a lot of things," he admitted, his eyes still fixed into Tony's. " _People_."

He pursed his lips together, holding back the knot climbing in his throat. 

"Just like I didn't really know Fury, at times I think I didn't really know _others_ , until they were gone. But then, it's too late and they're just a memory," he paused, finding that suddenly, breathing was just a little harder.   
"You remember most things while others fade away. You will remember Fury had an eyepatch, you won't remember what his voice sounded like. You will remember, Balder's hair was red, but not that song he loved."

He hang his head, thinking his hair would hide his face. Tony pushed his fingers through the blond locks, pulling them back. 

The sun had set. 

"You will remember -"

He turned his blurry gaze on Tony. 

"You will remember what Loki looked like when he died. You will remember that you never knew _how_ he lost his mind."

He closed his eyes, wrapped his arms around Tony's waist, hid his face just under the light of his chest.

"But nothing else."

Tony laid back on the couch, shielding the god in his embrace.


End file.
